Fittingly, the project is directed by Baillie Walsh, a filmmaker who previously directed Craig in Flashbacks of a Fool, a film about a Hollywood star reckoning with his past.
Combining clips from his films, news stories and footage, the documentary is structured around an audio round-table discussion between Craig and producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
It is good to hear their voices, at ease, but initially I had misgivings - the whole thing felt like a press kit: we get a potted history of his films, with a highlight reel of the key moments: the initial backlash to his casting, the writers' strike that affected Quantum, and the 'slash my wrists' comment.
While there are some anecdotes about specific aspects of each production, the focus is on Craig and how it felt in the eye of the storm. It is a good angle for a documentary - Craig has a reputation as a reticent interviewee, so part of the appeal here is getting to hear him talk off the cuff. Almost.
I think the presence of the Broccolis made me weary for about the first half of the documentary. They are the controllers of the franchise, and combined with the familiarity of the content, I could not shake off the sense that this film was a covert puff piece. It was an underlying frustration because what Craig talks about, in terms of how it felt in the moment, is really illuminating.
Despite my initial misgivings, the film did get to me. And how could it not?
Craig won me over in a way that previous actors never had. No other Bond actor could have been in that shower cradling Eva Green, or breaking down in that wicker chair. I had always been a Bond fan, but Craig’s portrayal - armoured yet exposed - made me invest in the character in a way that previous iterations had never aimed or asked for.
Craig may not like interviews, but I have always enjoyed his honesty and passion for his work. I feel like this documentary’s most lingering impact may be the way that it lets him express himself. He comes across as humble and self-effacing, and he seems to bring out the best in the Broccolis - this is the most animated I have ever heard them.
A lot has been made of Craig's physicality, but this documentary focuses on how the actor’s involvement in the stunt work has taken a toll. The moment that unsettled me the most was a behind-the-scenes shot from Quantum of Solace. In the clip, we watch Craig leap across a rooftop on a wire and slam into a balcony on the other side of the street. This moment stands out because in the finished film, it is failed by the film’s frenetic editing. Seeing Craig perform this action in an uninterrupted wide shot was exhilarating and excruciating in equal measure.
The film is at its best in these moments when pulls back the curtain a bit. I am sure this shot has been used before, it was one of the first moments where I began to come around on the film.
By the time we get to No Time To Die, the sense of time really hit home. Craig has been the face of the franchise for 15 years - longer than any other performer, and a lot longer than I thought he would last.
That sense of accumulated history, injuries, setbacks and comebacks, gives the behind-the-scenes snippets from Bond 25 a genuine sense of pathos. Particularly haunting is the filming of Craig’s final shot - running around a streetcar, vanishing out of sight. The camera lingers on the empty street, letting his absence sink in.
This moment is the prelude to the film’s standout sequence - Craig’s heartfelt speech to cast and crew. Watching this performer, still in the tux of his most famous role, well up as he thanks everyone who helped make him Bond, is the highpoint of the film. How ever No Time To Die ends, it will be nigh-on impossible to replicate this goodbye.
Will this be Craig’s final word on his involvement in the franchise? I hope not.
Coming out of Being James Bond, I would have liked to hear more from Craig, but perhaps that kind of introspection would require distance, both in time, and proximity from the Eon brains.
It is definitely worth checking out, but it feels like the teaser for a deeper examination of the ‘Daniel Craig story’.
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