Quantum of Solace (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved in Casino Royale, "007" (Daniel Craig) seeks both revenge and a new villain in this, the 22nd Bond movie, 'Quantum of Solace', directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Stranger Than Fiction, The Kite Runner, Stay). Those are some admirable films. This one? Nnnnot so much. After capturing & interrogating Mr. White (from the last film), he reveals that the organization which blackmailed Vesper is far more dangerous than anyone expected. After Bond gathers intelligence on the matter, an awesome forensics machine reveals the leader of said organization to be Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a megalomaniac who's out to rule the world. His current goal is to 'create' droughts so that he can then control Bolivia's underground water supply.
Haha, sounds Bond-ish so far, right? James gets involved because the outer bands of this case would also lead him to the people responsible for Vesper's death. Along the way he gets help from some old friends: Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) & American CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) ... and some new friends, a young MI6 agent named "Fields" (Gemma Arterton), and the dangerous, sexy, but morally ambiguous Camille (Olga Kurlyenko); another person who's out for revenge. You see, Camille is out to kill Bolivia's leader, General Medrano, a man who raped & killed her family when she was very young. It just so happens that our villain, Dominic Greene, is in questionable collaboration with him for Bolivia's natural resource control. It all ties in.
Meanwhile, "M" is feeling pressure from her superiors to reign in 007; who's been on a recent killing spree (to find the truth). An order to kill-on-sight is put out on him. And though he drives her nuts with his seemingly senseless acts of violence, she trusts him as a secret agent, & will do all she can to keep him alive. Hopping from country to country (Italy, England, Austria, Haiti, Bolivia, etc.), Bond fights the urge to make this mission personal. Treachery, murder, deceit. Everything culminates in an explosive climax where the fates of Bond, Camille, Dominic Greene, General Medrano, & "M" are uncertain.
'Quantum of Solace' is efficient, yet somewhat hollow. Gone is the panache of "Bond. James Bond". We barely see him drink, drive, play with his gadgets, schmooze with the ladies, or sit for a moment's rest; there's very little luxuriating. He barely cracks a smile; barely cracks a sly joke. He's of a one-track mind this time. Revenge. Brutal revenge (haphazardly taking down allies, as well); and eventually, finding catharsis for Vesper's betrayal of him. If this is the direction Forster wanted to take this particular film, then that's fine. But it isn't necessarily Bond-like. And it isn't executed nearly as well as it should have.
There are many things I enjoyed throughout the film's 105 minutes. 'Quantum ...' takes us to the usually exotic locales. Craig's use of gritty physicality is something I like about the new Bond franchise (only that there needs to be better plots surrounding it). There's a wonderful homage to Goldfinger in the death of one particular character. There's a scaffolding action scene that is extremely well-choreographed & shot. I enjoyed a speed boat chase (anytime the sound is suddenly dropped I always get chills). And there's a well-staged (but not awe-inspiring) plane duel, as well. My favorite segment involves an intense action sequence (between Bond & Greene's cohorts) that's intercut with opera music playing in a massive theater. The editing of this sequence is brilliant.
Even though I was not crazy about the plot ... at all ... Daniel Craig is a perfect Bond: steely, handsome, suave, but smart, tricky, & deadly, as well. And he is aided SO much by Judi Dench as "M". As my fellow critic Kevin noted last night, there's just a wealth of knowledge & strategy behind her eyes that none of us could ever imagine. There script offers 'some' sarcastic humor & intriguing concepts. But I really think the film's lack of fun, lack of elegance, & its light-weight plot is it's undoing. It's weak. Also weak is the usually effective Mathieu Amalric (incredible in The Diving Bell & the Butterfly) as our villain. And while I found nothing wrong with Olga Kurlyenko as this film's Bond-girl, she does not offer the same gravitas & flair as Eva Green's Vesper did in the previous film. So there you have it, moments of greatness, mixed with moments of disappointment. This certainly isn't the worst Bond film, but it ain't the best, either. It is standard Friday night entertainment ... but a shadow of the triumphant Bond re-birth that was Casino Royale.
Haha, sounds Bond-ish so far, right? James gets involved because the outer bands of this case would also lead him to the people responsible for Vesper's death. Along the way he gets help from some old friends: Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) & American CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) ... and some new friends, a young MI6 agent named "Fields" (Gemma Arterton), and the dangerous, sexy, but morally ambiguous Camille (Olga Kurlyenko); another person who's out for revenge. You see, Camille is out to kill Bolivia's leader, General Medrano, a man who raped & killed her family when she was very young. It just so happens that our villain, Dominic Greene, is in questionable collaboration with him for Bolivia's natural resource control. It all ties in.
Meanwhile, "M" is feeling pressure from her superiors to reign in 007; who's been on a recent killing spree (to find the truth). An order to kill-on-sight is put out on him. And though he drives her nuts with his seemingly senseless acts of violence, she trusts him as a secret agent, & will do all she can to keep him alive. Hopping from country to country (Italy, England, Austria, Haiti, Bolivia, etc.), Bond fights the urge to make this mission personal. Treachery, murder, deceit. Everything culminates in an explosive climax where the fates of Bond, Camille, Dominic Greene, General Medrano, & "M" are uncertain.
'Quantum of Solace' is efficient, yet somewhat hollow. Gone is the panache of "Bond. James Bond". We barely see him drink, drive, play with his gadgets, schmooze with the ladies, or sit for a moment's rest; there's very little luxuriating. He barely cracks a smile; barely cracks a sly joke. He's of a one-track mind this time. Revenge. Brutal revenge (haphazardly taking down allies, as well); and eventually, finding catharsis for Vesper's betrayal of him. If this is the direction Forster wanted to take this particular film, then that's fine. But it isn't necessarily Bond-like. And it isn't executed nearly as well as it should have.
There are many things I enjoyed throughout the film's 105 minutes. 'Quantum ...' takes us to the usually exotic locales. Craig's use of gritty physicality is something I like about the new Bond franchise (only that there needs to be better plots surrounding it). There's a wonderful homage to Goldfinger in the death of one particular character. There's a scaffolding action scene that is extremely well-choreographed & shot. I enjoyed a speed boat chase (anytime the sound is suddenly dropped I always get chills). And there's a well-staged (but not awe-inspiring) plane duel, as well. My favorite segment involves an intense action sequence (between Bond & Greene's cohorts) that's intercut with opera music playing in a massive theater. The editing of this sequence is brilliant.
Even though I was not crazy about the plot ... at all ... Daniel Craig is a perfect Bond: steely, handsome, suave, but smart, tricky, & deadly, as well. And he is aided SO much by Judi Dench as "M". As my fellow critic Kevin noted last night, there's just a wealth of knowledge & strategy behind her eyes that none of us could ever imagine. There script offers 'some' sarcastic humor & intriguing concepts. But I really think the film's lack of fun, lack of elegance, & its light-weight plot is it's undoing. It's weak. Also weak is the usually effective Mathieu Amalric (incredible in The Diving Bell & the Butterfly) as our villain. And while I found nothing wrong with Olga Kurlyenko as this film's Bond-girl, she does not offer the same gravitas & flair as Eva Green's Vesper did in the previous film. So there you have it, moments of greatness, mixed with moments of disappointment. This certainly isn't the worst Bond film, but it ain't the best, either. It is standard Friday night entertainment ... but a shadow of the triumphant Bond re-birth that was Casino Royale.