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A
Bond film that falls short of "Casino
Royale" greatness.
Let me get the basics out of the way...
Great title.
Dreadful opening theme song.
Boring opening credit sequence.
Solid action scenes.
Gorgeous Bond girls.
Hardly any humor.
No steamy love scenes.
Unfocused plot.
I am still recommending this Bond entry,
despite some significant negatives,
predominantly because of the strength of
Daniel Craig as the "new" 007. He
demands to be considered a more
three-dimensional and thoughtful Bond... a
man whose actions and emotions have weight
and consequences. This re-invention
bids a temporary adieu to the overt sexual
innuendos and comical gadgetry of the
Connery, Moore, Brosnan era (I omit the
Dalton era for obvious reasons).
"Quantum of Solace" may not be as fun as
many of the previous twenty movies...
Rather, it replaces the silliness with
regret, pain and vengeance. That may
or may not be your deep champagne goblet of
Vesper Martini.
Picking up just a few minutes after
"Casino Royale" ends, this flick is
essentially a sequel. Bond is
simultaneously pissed off and mourning over
the loss of his beloved Vesper Lynd... and
he wants answers.
The film thrusts us into motion with an
insane car chase in the curvy hills of the
Italian countryside. Once at the
safe-house, Bond and M interrogate Mr. White
-- the man whom James Bond introduces himself
to in the final moments of "Casino Royale".
However, things do not go as planned when a
rogue MI6 agent helps Mr. White escape.
The hunt is on as 007 traverses the globe
in search of Dominic Greene, the head of an
ultra-secretive organization that goes by
the name "Quantum". They are in the
business of destabilizing governments and
installing new leadership who will be more
beneficial to their interests. Their
current target is Bolivia.
Along the way, Bond is naturally thrust
into the paths of some gorgeous women.
One is Camille (Kurylenko), a woman with her
own agenda which involves a personal
relationship with Dominic Greene. The
other is Agent Fields (Arterton), an MI6
employee who is sent to retrieve Bond after
he "goes rogue".
The plot yanks us all over the place
before finally settling in South America,
where we figure out the true
motivations behind Greene and Quantum (the
modern version of Spectre).
I think of this film as a transition
piece. "Casino Royale" was our first
introduction to James Bond - his first
assignment, first love, first loss.
"Quantum of Solace" is a somber revenge
flick that, by its very nature, has to
eschew all the typical humor and wink-wink
sexuality. The next film may have us
return to the Connery style Bond, who uses
women without conscience and thwarts evil
with nonchalance. However, he had to
go through this movie to find a "Quantum of
Solace" first. This film was a
necessary step in the evolution of Bond.
I have already professed my glee over the
selection of Daniel Craig as 007. He
gets it all right. I could not be
happier with the choice. I must
confess that I am tired of Judi Dench in the
role of M. Been there, done that.
The role needs to be recast somehow.
I would like to see the gadgets return.
We had a nice glimpse of an awesome computer
interface in "QoS"... but the requisite
gadget scene was always a fun moment to
anticipate.
Kurylenko and Arterton are undeniably
pristine as the beautiful Bond Girls here.
Unfortunately, they aren't given enough to
do. I would have loved to have had
them more involved. Kurylenko is
clearly blessed with star quality... She is
stunning. Arterton reminds me a little
of Rosamund Pike or Keira Knightley -- She
is elegant and quintessentially English.
I think she has a great career in front of
her.
However, the flaws in this film lay
squarely at the feet of director, Marc
Forster. The plot is unfocused...
never letting us settle in one place for
long enough to gather our thoughts.
The choice of opening song and credit
sequence are atrocious. He should be
fleeced for ruining those most cherished
parts of the Bond experience. And
although the action scenes were ambitious
and packed with energy, I felt that he fell
back on the tired techniques of quick cuts
and blurred speed to distract us from the
logistics of the sequences. To me,
this signifies a lack of confidence and a
lack of talent.
Nevertheless, I still manage to recommend
"QoS' despite it falling far short of its
prequel. Not only was "Casino Royale"
the best Bond film ever made... It was one
of the best films of 2006 -- it is a very
rare feat for an out and out action film to
land in one of my Top 10 Lists.
This 2008 effort pales in
comparison. Is that unfair?
Perhaps. "Quantum of Solace" is a good
action film and nothing more.
©
Written by TC Candler
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