BOTTOM LINE: "Quantum of Solace" is a missed opportunity to capitalise on Daniel Craig's definitive take on James Bond from Casino Royale, leaving a film that spends a third of its time tieing up loose ends from its predecessor and the rest of the time padding itself out with intense, but ultimately undramatic action sequences.
THE GOOD: When Daniel Craig stepped in to the role of James Bond, he created a very different, but modern and engaging character that was a major departure from all previous incarnations of James Bond. This provided a much needed boost to the franchise, and combined with a strong story and character exploration, Casino Royale proved to be one of the best Bond films ever. With "Quantum of Solace", the grittier, tougher and less-gadgety take on the Bond universe has been thankfully continued, and for the most part, has been ratcheted up in intensity. Daniel Craig is one tough guy in this outing, playing a Bond that is driven even further by rage and revenge, but who also does not have everything go his way or everyone bowing to his whim.
In one of the best action scenes in the film, Bond chases down an informant who has infiltrated MI6 and has a bone-crunching fight which is very reminiscent of the Bourne films, and when he kills the informant, he is chastised by M (Judi Dench) for not following her instructions to bring him back alive for questioning. Director Marc Forster has established some very unique action sequences, but he has also stamped a rather unique visual style that makes this film not only different to its predecessor but also different to any other Bond film. The use of titles, intercutting and the use of sound is welcome, with one great example being an intense shoot-out at an Italian opera between Bond and the bad guys, all intercut with the opera itself.
Daniel Craig is once again great as Bond, delivering a ruthless killer who is hell-bent on revenge. Olga Kurlyenko, who plays Bond girl Camille, manages to be both tough and cute at the same time, playing a complicated character. Mathieu Amalric plays the chief villain Dominic Greene with a quiet, nasty intensity, without any physical characteristic as most Bond villains have (such as the weeping eye of Le Chiffre from Casino Royale). Judi Dench is also excellent once again as Bond's boss M, and the development of their not quite mother/son relationship makes for a fascinating dynamic. This film is leaner and meaner than its predecessor, and for the first time, serves as a direct sequel rather than another adventure which makes for a different Bond experience.
THE BAD: It was always going to be unfair to expect this film to live up to the highwater mark of Casino Royale, but given this film had a $200 million budget and the same writing/producing team, this film should have been much better. What made Daniel Craig's first outing so good was its focus on story and character. You got to see Bond in a new light as he went through some pivotal moments in his early career which make him who he is. None of that is done justice in "Quantum of Solace". Daniel Craig is excellent as Bond, but the script and direction do not give him any room to explore his character further (or at all), leaving us with a 2-dimensional take on the character. If anything, only Craig's presence makes Bond watchable this time around, otherwise he would have disappeared in the flurry of non-stop action sequences.
There are only a few moments where Craig gets to play with the Bond wit we've all come to know and love but those moments disappear quickly. The lack of a strong story is another major problem. At its heart, this film is only tieing up loose ends from Casino Royale. It sets up the elusive criminal organisation called "Quantum", but apart from that, the rest of the film is just action scene after action scene as Bond dispatches all the bad guys. The experience of watching "Quantum of Solace" feels quite hollow by the time the end credits roll, leaving a Bond film which does not deliver on the new potential and energy started by its predecessor.
For the original review, follow this link: http://www.allaboutmovies.net/filmreviewquantumofsolace.htm
Todd Murphy is a staff reviewer at the film/DVD review web site, All About Movies.net - for all the latest reviews on the newest releases. He also contributes reviews and articles for the Digicosm Film Blog: http://www.filmannex.com/Digicosm
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