No Time to Die

For over sixty years the character of James Bond has been a cultural icon of young men everywhere. The glamorous lifestyle, the thrills of espionage, the music and the cars have integrated themselves into the popular consciousness. In 2021 we got the finale of the Daniel Craig iteration of James Bond directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. No Time to Die is the final hurrah of the contemporary Bond series that I think leaves the future of the franchise and the character in a strange limbo.

I'd like to think that Daniel Craig represents the best and worst of Bond as a literary character. When Fleming wrote his novels Bond was very much the archetype of the hyper masculine domineering male figure of the 50's. The misogyny, the chain smoking and alcoholism are all hallmarks of Bond. Fast forward sixty years and I think the five Daniel Craig films really subvert the Bond archetype quite well.

Daniel Craig humanized the character of Bond. Rather than exaggerate Bond's negative qualities Craig's Bond undergoes a somewhat limited character development. The loss of his family has impacted his ability to form meaningful relationships with people and his cavalier attitude puts him at odds with the people he meets especially the women. Yet, when he falls in love with Vesper Lynn we see a real motivation for him to change. However that moment of happiness, the vulnerability that came with it proves to be his his undoing. She becomes a pawn and eventual victim in the schemes of his enemies. Vesper's death becomes the catalyst for Bond's slippery descent into violence and chaos.

Of the myriad actors to play Bond over sixty years I think Daniel Craig brought a gritty sense of realism to the role. Other actors such as Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan felt like comedy compared to Craig. I attribute that mostly to the writers utilizing the sexual language and machismo of Bond in Fleming's stories. Craig peels away that veneer to create a vulnerable and more emotionally twisted character. He doesn't pretend to be above those he hunts down. He is merely the other side to the coin of human nature. He doesn't shy away from violence and brutality as it is all he knows.

Bond has a notorious history as being a bit of a womanizer. Craig's rugged looks were the perfect fit for a man who is used to getting what he wants. His confidence and swagger borders on arrogance in his approach to women. However in the Craig films Bond is challenged by the women in his life to look differently at the world. Dame Judi Dench plays the stern and motherly M who tries to keep Bond under her thumb so he doesn't create more chaos. Vesper Lynn matches Bond's intellect and strips bond down to the core of his character and inevitably falls in love with him. Madeline Swann manages to reach to the deepest parts of his humanity and pull him out of the darkness.

Unlike the Bond films of the sixties and seventies where Bond ends up in bed with the seductive femmes there is a streak of cruelty in the way Bond treats the more 'disposable' women in each film. Every woman he meets that doesn't pique his interest is a means to an end. Inevitably they all end up dead. Craig's portrayal of Bond really highlights the broken shell of a man that he has become in his line of work as a spy. The death of Vesper Lynn pushes him over the edge and haunts him throughout the remainder of the series.

James Bond is a complex character with problematic archetypes. He is ruthless, chauvinistic, misogynistic, alcoholic and outright violent. I love the way Daniel Craig embodies each of these qualities. His portrayal of Bond isn't hammy or over done. It's the right balance of each of these qualities that makes Craig the suitable Bond for the 21st century. It will be difficult to step into the shoes of James Bond especially after Craig's tenure. I think Eon Productions should consider the possibility of retiring the character or creating a character as the spiritual successor of Bond.

James Bond is a timeless literary and cinematic character. Immortalized in popular culture he is an archetype of a bygone era of spies, womanizing and conspiracy. No Time to Die was an appropriate end for Daniel Craig. Daniel Craig is by far my favorite incarnation of Bond because he sets himself apart from other interpretations of the character. He plays a Bond that is tortured by the ghosts of the people he loves. All he can do is push forward to do the right thing in his own way. Craig has left a last mark on the characterization of James Bond, one that is much more realistic and gritty. He will surely be missed and I hope that Eon retires him in favor of an entirely new character.