Do you like the new direction the Bond series has taken? The answer to this question may indicate your impression of the newest 007 film, “Quantum of Solace.” As Carly Simon previously sang about the super-spy, “Nobody does it Better,” and this new action thriller proves what a high-quality production the Bond films have become. The stunts and action set pieces - whether fighting on scaffolding or driving an Aston Martin through heavy traffic on the side of a cliff - are breathtakingly realized and feel astonishingly real. However, much of the charm of the earlier Bond films is missing, primarily because of the continuing somber performance of the newest actor in the tux, Daniel Craig (“Munich“).
“Quantum of Solace” is the first direct sequel in the Bond franchise, continuing only hours after the end of “Casino Royale.” James Bond is focused on revenge for the death of the last Bond girl, Vesper Lynd, whom he fell in love with and was willing to abandon his career for. Bond is in Italy and has captured Mr. White (Jesper Christensen, “Casino Royale”). Taking him in for interrogation, Bond learns there is a nefarious organization controlling shady dealings throughout the world, including destabilizing governments. Bond emphasizes to his boss M (Judi Dench) that he is simply doing his job by hunting down the next link in the chain of the secret society known only as QUANTUM. That trail leads to middle man Dominic Greene (“Munich“) and a troubled woman named Camille (Olga Kurylenko, “Hitman”) who also has revenge on her mind.
As an action thriller, director Marc Forster’s movie succeeds in keeping the audience on the edge of its seat and connected to its characters. “Quantum of Solace” is all about the action and I doubt 15 minutes go by without another fight or chase sequence. The fight scenes - including a rooftop chase - feel very much like they were torn directly out of a Jason Bourne movie, including the unnecessarily shaky camera. But do audiences want a rehash of the grittiness and loss of the “Bourne” series, or do they want James Bond? Isn’t James Bond supposed to be charming and sophisticated, hiding the ruthless and indestructible secret agent beneath? Craig has still not completed the transition that he began in “Casino Royale” from new 00 agent to the suave secret agent.
It is reasonable to ask: Will there be a return to the Bond audiences remember, or will this more serious secret agent without his trademark lines be the final product? If so, what makes James Bond special and not just another action star? Greene is a rather bland villain in the context of prior 007 masterminds and it is unclear why finding him is so important to Bond. As an action movie, I can’t fault the quality of the final product, but as a Bond movie, “Quantum of Solace” has not found the balance that exemplifies the series.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action and some sexual content.
