Quantum of Solace - Better Returns Than Other Investments in Bonds

Posted by ScuzzBuster

November 16, 2008

Kind of like a comfort food, James Bond films are kind of like comfort films. After 45 years, there always seems to be a Bond film either in the theater or in the works and no matter how weak the films get they always manage to rake in enough money to keep the series running. It’s kind of like why people continue to force themselves to tune into The Simpsons on Sunday nights. Most of the time it may not be very good anymore, but it’s worthwhile when they get it right.

The whole mess has been kind of in a rut since the Timothy Dalton era. That is until they rebooted the series again with Daniel Craig. It was a bold move to push the character towards a lone, rough, bad ass. Fortunately it works and we’re getting some damned fine cinema. Quantum of Solace is an ass-kicker of a film. Within the first 15 minutes we’re treated to an outrageous car chase and a run and gun roof-top battle that will yank the hell out of you and make you dizzier than you’d generally feel coming out of a Michael Bay film.

While I’ve always had a soft spot for a good Bond film, they’ve never been “must sees” for me, so I was quite pleased with Quantum. It’s a slick, well-directed, well acted, pitch-perfectly paced action spy thriller that will have you grinning like a 13-year-old from the classic Bond title sequence through the final frames.

Craig really eats the role for a snack. There’s something about his humorless, underplayed Bond that brings a menace to part that we have never had before. Unlike Connery, Moore, Dalton or Brosnan, this isn’t a man that makes you feel safe even if he’s on your side. If you manage to last five minutes in the same room with him without getting a bullet through the eye or a shard of glass through your throat, you’re likely to drop stone dead from his glare.

I imagine that Bond purists, which I am definitely not one, will have a series of complaints about Solace. I know there’s been some grumbling regarding giving the character a woman-based grudge and revenge-motive based on a love betrayal. All understandable, but with no real emotional investment in the series as a whole, it’s a non-issue for a casual moviegoer.

Also, the over the top action sequence editing is a turn off for some. In this case though, it’s probably the best I’ve ever seen. When done sloppily it can turn things into a confusing mess, but with Marc Forster’s slick direction and the solid editing it’s done well. It’s not an easy task to convey a sustained action narrative through a series of 2-4 second cuts and really never have the audience lose track of what’s happening, but it’s generally managed quite expertly here.

Woven throughout the plentiful action sequences we have the standard somewhat confusing political espionage storyline about an environmental technology company fronting a secret operation to overthrow the Bolivian government in order to snag a piece of their natural resources. Along for the ride is a quick lay for Bond in a 5 star hotel and a hot leading woman in the form of Olga Kurylenko, who tags along for the ride with Bond on a personal revenge mission.

Probably the softest part of the film is Mathieu Amalric, who is a kind of a lackluster Bond villain who never really matches screen presence with Craig or anyone else. While he seems to be the simple pawn of a greater axis of evil that will certainly come more in to focus in the next film, it’s kind of drag to never really have any charisma coming from the guys in the figurative black hats.

In any case, I definitely give this film a recommendation for a fun couple of hours. Just leave enough of your brain in your head to be able to figure out who the good guys and bad guys are and enjoy some James Bond ass-beatings for a couple of hours.

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