Film Review

No Time To Die (2021) — Daniel Craig’s farewell merits a shocking end

James Bond’s retirement is short-lived when an old friend asks for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain…

Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond has lasted for four US Presidents, remarkably. Casino Royale (2006) was a stripped-down reboot of the franchise after Pierce Brosnan’s era collapsed into self-parody with invisible cars and tsunami parasailing, inspired by the more down-to-earth thrills of the Bourne franchise. The Bond formula and icons returned quickly, peaking with 50th-anniversary instalment Skyfall (2012) — which grossed a franchise record-breaking $1.1BN at the global box office — but director Sam Mendes couldn’t pull the same trick twice with hollow follow-up Spectre (2015). Craig was vocal about not wanting to return as the suave secret agent after Spectre’s disappointing reception but was convinced to give his reign the swansong it deserved with No Time To Die -which now arrives six years later, after “creative differences” with original director Danny Boyle resulted in him leaving the project, then…