Quantum of Solace

Well it's been two years since Daniel Craig's first outing in Casino Royale, a film which would be a 'reboot' of the bond franchise, a grittier, more-21st-century incarnation of the classic James Bond. And, as all viewers of the torture scenes in Royale will recall, it certainly ticked the box in terms of realism and was, allegedly, more faithful to the original Fleming text.

So it wasn't without some small level of excitement (and re-watching of Casino Royale this week) that I awaited Quantum of Solace, which was dubbed as being a continuation of the story from Casino Royale. What is the ‘Organisation’ that is referred to in the previous film? Where does Mr White fit into the equation? Will Craig lighten up and have that little bit more fun?

Indeed, the film begins hours after the ending of the previous film, which, in itself, is not the standard methodology of a Bond film and whiffs overwhelmingly of 'sequel'. In terms of action, the film works; the initial car-chase sequence and the dogfight in Bolivia are well choreographed. The former is only slightly Bourne-esque, whilst the latter is 'classic' Bond. The character development, especially of Bond, is portrayed well from the 'blunt instrument' with 'over developed trigger finger' of Casino Royale to the more rounded and controlled individual of the pre-reboot Bonds. Also, the two Bond girls, Gemma Arterton and Olga Kurylenko play their parts well, although Arterton's character is not developed in any way as much as it should have been.

However, there is a big but. My main criticism is the plot. Indeed, we all knew that this film would be a continuation of Casino Royale. With the introduction of a new 'bad guy', Dominic Greene (played [well] by Mathieu Amalric), you would expect a sinister back-story and plot on a par with the raw nature of the reinvented franchise. What sinister plot is developed is nothing more the a bit of blackmail which a potential dictator looks slightly frustrated about. Furthermore, what (little) plot there is seems to be fleshed out and progressed by action sequences, one after another almost to plug the gap where there should have been some real story.

All in all, it probably is worth 106 minutes of your time; the action is well produced and will satisfy any hardened Bond fan. However, don't expect a rounded 'complete' story on a par with a 'classic' Bond film.

No comments.