“M. reached across for the papers, adjusted his spectacles, and began reading. Soft rain scratched at the windows. A big log fell in the grate. The silence was soft and comfortable. Bond looked round the wall at M.’s treasured collection of naval prints. Everywhere there were mountainous seas, crashing cannon, bellying sails, tattered battle pennants - the fury of ancient engagements, the memories of ancient enemies, the French, the Dutch, the Spaniards, even the Americans. All gone, all friends now with one another. Not a sign of the enemies of today.” – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
The beautiful Folio Society edition of ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ had been sitting on the shelf next to ‘From Russia With Love’ since last Christmas.
‘FRWL’ was my first dip into the literary waters of James Bond and it didn’t disappoint, featuring a finale which was far more satisfying than the movie iteration, even if that film will stand the test of time.
Ian Fleming’s version consciously sets up a sequel, but Messrs Broccoli and Saltzman didn’t view their burgeoning ‘franchise’ in serial terms almost 60 years ago. But, to be honest, I’m rather relieved they veered away from Fleming’s text.
I’ve never had an issue with Bond re-setting from movie to movie and one suspects this formula will be revived by the time there’s a new actor selected for Bond 26 because make no mistake: James Bond Will Return.
So here I am, in the wee small hours of a Friday morning, a few chapters into ‘OHMSS’ and just home from the 25th Bond movie, the fifth and final entry in Daniel Craig’s contribution to the 007 series. And, unsurprisingly, there are too many thoughts being had to surrender to sleep just yet. But let’s just say my timing with ‘OHMSS’ as a reading companion is apt.
Immediate reflections? Well, ‘No Time To Die’ represents a definite improvement on ‘Spectre’ but wasn’t as satisfying to this viewer’s eyes as ‘Skyfall’ or ‘Casino Royale’. But, in the context of how Craig’s Bond has been written – we’ve seen him bleed, shot and grieve more than once – there’s no denying the logic of how the door shuts on this 15-year window for the character.
The voice of Louis Armstrong is in the mind’s eye as I write given the unexpected refrain of his 1969 hit in ‘NTTD’, which originally played over the end credits of George Lazenby’s solitary appearance as Bond. And that’s about as big a spoiler as you’ll get from reading my latest Bondian ramble.
The pre-credits sequence shot in the stunning Italian town of Matera is tremendous, perhaps second only to ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ for full-on entertainment, giving both Craig and the Aston Martin DB5 time to shine.
This was preceded by a scene which established the motivations of Safin (Rami Malek) and his connection to Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), the thread which ties the movie through to its conclusion on a set that legendary designer Ken Adam would have been proud of.
The longest ever Bond movie has a production design to match and may well be the movie’s greatest strength. Hans Zimmer’s score certainly reaches into the bombast of John Barry at times, but there were more than a few scenes where it sounded like he had availed of some spare sheet music from ‘The Dark Knight Rises’.
Malek’s villain doesn’t have too considerable an arc: he’s a psychopath from the off and remains so, and for all the pre-release talk of his character not being a re-worked Dr No, I couldn’t escape the comparison.
As for Blofeld (Christoph Waltz)? Taking the past two Bond movies into account, I couldn’t help thinking about the version Quentin Tarantino surely has in his head, all the more so given Waltz’s pitch perfect ‘Inglorious Basterds’ performance as the contemptible Hans Landa. Waltz barely flexed a muscle as Bond’s arch nemesis. More’s the pity.
While ‘NTTD’ isn’t the best of Craig’s 007 movies, this, for me is Craig’s best performance as Bond.
Ruthless in the Matera and Norway sequences (like a caged animal in the latter), having a ball during the terrific Cuba set-piece with Paloma (a fleeting but wholly memorable performance by Ana de Armas) and unashamedly vulnerable more than once, Craig takes Bond through the entire gamut in ‘NTTD’.
He briefly teams up with Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter) but given the size of the ensemble, it’s no surprise that their screen time together is quite precious. And, yes, there are even a few good quips thrown in for Craig to play around with, much to my delight and relief.
A great Bond, Craig has been somewhat disserved in the role by some uneven writing and the decision not to lean into his clear comedic tendencies (‘Knives Out’, anyone?) still feels like a creative mis-step.
Fellow agent Nomi (Lashana Lynch) proves a worthy equal to Bond even if she is somewhat underwritten.
Could she return in a movie shot between now and the next 007-led adventure? I don’t see why not as it would also surely provide audiences with another opportunity to see not only Lynch but the supporting cast of Ralph Fiennes (M), Ben Whishaw (Q), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny) and Rory Kinnear (Tanner).
There’s a lot of talent still under the Bond umbrella, none of which may feature the next time we see the Walther PPK being unholstered by the new leading actor so one wonders what EON/Amazon’s next step will be. One thing’s for sure: we will be seeing a lot more Bond/Bond Universe stories given the franchise’s new owner.
I suspect ‘NTTD’s conclusion will infuriate a considerable cohort of the Bond audience but, as I mentioned at the outset, given how Craig’s iteration has been crafted, it didn’t come as the greatest of surprises.
‘No Time To Die’ is a beautifully made film. To watch a blockbuster without being distracted by dodgy CGI underlines Cari Joji Fukunaga’s commitment to keeping things real in so fantastical a world. Now that he has gained his 007 sea legs, one wonders what he might do with a new Bond a few years down the line? But until that time arrives, I’ll be happily delving back into the agent as first written by Ian Fleming…
“Greatly encouraged, and further stimulated by half a bottle of Mouton Rothschild ’53 and a glass of ten-year-old Calvados with his three cups of coffee, he went cheerfully up the thronged steps of the Casino with the absolute certitude that this was going to be a night to remember.”
Rating: 3/5
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