Bond (Daniel Craig) is retired and living in Jamaica until Felix Leiter (Jeffery Wright) convinces him to do one last job. A job that will lead him to a dangerous madman with a desire to eradicate people on a mass scale. 

Daniel Craig’s fifth and final Bond film is finally here. After several high profile postponements thanks to the global pandemic it’s almost hard to remember that we once were worried about the fact that Danny Boyle left the project as director due to creative differences. Or indeed that Billie Eilish, the youngest artist ever to record a Bond theme released the song over a year ago. I have to say this is a particularly good Bond song as well. 

Daniel Craig’s Bond films have set themselves apart from those that have gone before by actually having an ongoing storyline. So given this is his swan song I am not going to say anything about the actual plot other than to say, brush up on the key facts of his previous films and go in knowing that this is a fitting finale for one of the best to play the role. 

What I will say is that everything about the film is brutally efficient and clinical. The plot is propulsive, jetting us all around the globe for set piece after set piece. The action is well measured and features taught and expertly shot firefights and vehicle chases. 

It’s also nice to see a mix of old and new here. There are references to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, a very traditional and old fashioned villain but also the introduction of a female double O agent and the idea that these Bond films are direct sequels rather than stand alone stories. 

Craig is effortlessly brilliant in the role again. Bringing pathos to Bond whilst looking amazing in a tux. But the standouts for me were Lashana Lynch and Ana de Armas. Both play highly capable agents who look stunning, bring humour to their roles and kick ass. 

If you wanted to find flaws in the story and plot it would be in Rami Malek’s Safin but I think that would be disingenuous. He is a classic old fashioned Bond villain. Facially disfigured, Eastern European with revenge on his mind whilst he sits in his secret island lair. And what better way to do that than killing a lot of people? Malek is actually pretty damn good at being creepy and villainous and clearly understood the job description. 

Congratulations to Cary Joji Fukunaga for directing an efficient, clinical and fitting finale to the Craig Bond era.