Review: Quantum of Solace

Quantum of Solace

OPENING: 11/14/2008

STUDIO: MGM

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
This time, it’s personal.

Opening Statement
Something feels a little funny about the latest James Bond film. It just doesn’t feel the same anymore. Once upon a time, Bond movies were an ideal source of escapist entertainment, offering grand adventures, megalomaniacal villains, women with suggestive names, and hi-tech gadgets. All of that was dispensed with in the previous Bond film, Casino Royale, a gritty and immensely effective story of Bond’s early years. That film felt like the beginning of a potentially great run of Bond movies, and it seemed to hint these films would attempt to incorporate the more fantastical elements of Bond’s world in as realistic a manner as possible. Unfortunately this latest film, oddly titled Quantum of Solace, seems to be stuck in neutral. It attempts to recapture the thrills of Casino Royale, but doesn’t seem to want to go anywhere new. As a companion piece to its predecessor, it works well enough, but it’s not too successful as a standalone entry.

Facts of the Case
This one picks up directly where the previous one left off. Bond (Daniel Craig) and M (Judi Dench) are attempting to figure out what sort of organization was behind the shenanigans in the previous picture, and quickly realize they’re up against a pretty significant and frighteningly invisible adversary. Simply playing by the rules isn’t going to work. You need someone who is fearless and willing to get his hands dirty. 007 is precisely the man for the job. From a purely official standpoint, M disapproves of his behavior, but deep down she knows the right man is handling the situation. Very quickly, Bond begins to uncover the diabolical plot of a wealthy entrepreneur named Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), who has plans to take control of the water supply in parts of South America.

The Evidence
In many ways, Quantum of Solace feels like an inferior imitation of Casino Royale. I may end up belaboring this point, but there’s simply no way around it. Let’s start with the pre-credits sequence: a frantic car chase directed with surprising sloppiness and incoherency by director Marc Forster. Compare this to the foot chase in Casino Royale, directed with exciting skill by Martin Campbell. Why is one of the most action-packed Bond films in recent memory being directed by a man who has no experience in the realm of action films? Granted, Forster (The Kite Runner) is gifted when it comes to character-driven drama, and there are a few nice scenes along those lines here… but just a few. For the most part, this one is concerned with keeping everyone running, jumping, and fighting. That’s okay with me, but you’ve got to make it exciting. Much of the action here is just busy, difficult to follow, and not much fun.

Then let’s consider the main title sequence. Remember that cool card-themed main title from Casino Royale and the equally cool song from Chris Cornell? Here we get a very unimaginative desert-themed sequence and a rather ho-hum tune from Jack White and Alicia Keyes that feels a bit out of place in a Bond movie. Perhaps that is appropriate for a Bond film that feels out of place in the franchise. Despite all of the modern grit it contained, Casino Royale felt like a real Bond movie. This one doesn’t. Q, Moneypenny, and the gadgets are still missing, but this time we don’t even manage to make room for villainous monologues, gambling, romantic bliss, or witty quips. This film sucks the life out of the franchise, soaking everything mercilessly in realism (well, movie realism) and the woes of “the real world.” Remember the scene in Goldfinger, with the dead girl covered in gold paint? Of course you do. Here, we get a similar image, but this time the girl is covered in oil. I winced just a little. This is not what I want a Bond movie to be.

Another big problem is the plot. Name any Bond film other than Quantum of Solace. Go ahead, pick one. Got it? Okay. I guarantee you anyone could walk into that film without having seen any previous Bond films and understand everything going that’s on without any trouble. There are lots of Bond films, but they aren’t really “sequels.” This one is most assuredly is a sequel, and requires a thorough knowledge of everything that happened in Casino Royale. If you haven’t watched the film within the past few months, you’re pretty much screwed going into Quantum of Solace. The movie never even bothers to make a half-hearted attempt at bringing the audience up to speed. If names like “Vesper” and “Le Chiffre” don’t mean anything to you, I suspect you will be lost completely.

All of that being said, um… I still kind of liked Quantum of Solace. Hard as that may be to believe, I can’t say that I hated the movie. I was disappointed by it, I was frustrated by it, I was irritated with it… but I’m glad I saw it. That’s mostly because the actors work very, very hard to sell this material. Wow… Daniel Craig is a good James Bond. He isn’t given much to do here, but he doesn’t need much to make an impression. He nails every scene. Judi Dench has never been better as M than she is here, and she shares some of the film’s best scenes with Craig. Jeffrey Wright is once again underused, but he has all ready secured a place in Bond history as the best Felix Leiter. As for the rest of the cast… well, everyone is fine, but let’s just say that the villain is no Gert Frobe, and the girl is no Eva Green.

Closing Statement
This is one of the lesser Bond films and, coming on the heels of one of the very best, it may seem particularly disappointing. Seeing each and every Bond film is one of the rules of cinema, so you should see it, note your concerns, and feel free to post your complaints and compliments on your friendly neighborhood internet forum. Then just try to relax and sleep well. James Bond will return, and he will be good again. If the past 45 years or so have taught us anything, it’s that you just can’t kill the Bond franchise. He’ll be back again. Just think about all of those Bond girls over the years. Half of them are tragically killed, and half of them are valiantly rescued. The movies are the same way. You can’t rely on Bond to save all of them, but you can rely on him to keep saving some of them on a regular basis. Quantum of Solace just happened to be the unlucky gal this time around.

The Verdict
6/10

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