The Bond franchise continued to break from its hokey past of witty one-liners, impossible gadgets and seemingly random sexual romps in “Quantum of Solace,” the second installment of the new brooding and introspective 007.
Daniel Craig turned in another powerhouse performance, convincing audiences once again that James Bond could be played by a chap with blond hair. In fact, the whole cast was excellent. The problem with the film was that it tried to strike a balance between keeping Bond recognizable to generations of fans who fell in love with the more frivolous secret agent and this new guy who sometimes seemed like a sociopath.
“Quantum of Solace” begins 20 minutes after the end of “Casino Royale.” Bond has captured one of the leaders of the shadowy Quantum organization and is trying to speed him away for questioning. This incarnation of Bond is clearly more brutal than his predecessors. He kills people for almost no reason at all and appears to recklessly endanger innocent civilians to get revenge on Quantum, the group responsible for the death of his lover, Vesper, in the previous film.
Throughout the movie, the viewer may question whether Bond is acting out of a sense of duty to uncover the truth about the sinister people in Quantum, or if he is acting out of sheer rage over the loss of someone he loved.
All the fundamental traits of a Bond film are still in place: an artistic presentation of the opening credits backed by a pop song, a needless sex scene, some witty lines and, of course, a Bond Girl. At the same time, the film seemed forced into maintaining all the elements of a franchise that has clearly transformed after the departure of Pierce Brosnon in the wake of his attrocious finale, “Die Another Day.”
For example, the main sexual tension in the film is between Bond and the mysterious Bolivian secret service agent Camile. However, the only sex in the movie is a rather disappointing encounter between Bond and a throwaway character, Ms. Fields, a fellow MI-6 employee whom he seduces with one of the few funny lines in the film. “Can you come here for a minute?” Bond said from across a luxurious hotel suite. “I’m having trouble finding the, uh, stationary.”
The scene did nothing to advance the plot and is too simple for the more complex story line of this new Bond.
The action sequences have been criticized in a review by The New York Times as too jumpy and disjointed. I understood that criticism and at times the choppy camera shots were distracting, but overall the action sequences were exhilarating. The opening high-speed chase was a duel between an Alfa Romero and an Aston Martin, which had everyone in the sold-out show on the edge of their seats — everyone except the high-school-age couple making out in the row in front of me.
Despite some of the shortcomings, there were aspects of the film that were improved from “Casino Royale.” “Casino Royale” opened with a rather unforgettable tune by Chris Cornell of Soundgarden. But “Quantum of Solace” enlisted music giants Alicia Keys and Jack White to write the song, “Just Another Way to Die,” which rolled with the credits after the opening scene. White, of the White Stripes, added his distinct guitar-playing style and eccentric song structures to the piece. Keys inserted a funky piano line and soulful vocals to what sounded like a traditional Bond title song.
White’s guitar line was a variation of the familiar Bond theme. The main riff in the song is reminiscent of Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die,” the title song from the 1973 Bond film with Roger Moore as the leading man.
All things considered, the film was excellent. I have been a Bond fan for as long as I can remember and have seen all 21 of the previous films at least twice — even the more painful ones such as “The Living Daylights” and “Moonraker.” While Timothy Dalton still occupies his place in history as the worst Bond in my estimation, the title of best Bond will soon be a battle between the slick and charming Sean Connery and the icy Daniel Craig.
Contact staff writer David Larter at
Nov. 20, 2008
Loading ...
Without a doubt, Connery & Brosnan were the gold standard of Bond & my darkest days where during Moore’s farcical portrayal of our favorite 00. So I am pre-disposed not to accept Craig as a bone fide replacement. But even in both movies, Craig is not the problem, the producers & directors are. OK. Perhaps my last comments were really a review of Casino not having seen QoS. Now I have seen it and there are so many problems with it I do not know where to begin. All the chases are herky, jerky, shaky staccato film clips. You can never really see what is going on. This is contrary to the traditional Bond flick replete with detail. And if Craig is gritty, moody, mean & vindictive one can still see a path by which he becomes a cooler if not a cold, uber-professional agent with a dry, sardonic sense of humor. This Bond clearly appeals to a feminine perspective that escapes me. I understood him not becoming ‘involved’ with the other women in the 2 flicks as having high standards and was at least relieved to see his response to Fields as, what we would term a normal orientation! (The women seem to love that Bond does NOT ‘hook up’ with the main girl in either film and broods ceaselessly like a forlorn Hamlet for his unrequited lover from Casino). Even the opening chase, usually one of the best, is almost visually incomprehensible. Car chase, rooftop chase, sewer chase, apartment knife fight chase, boat chase, plane chase, Chase-Morgan, certainly they all were purloined from the Bourne genre but somehow Bourne’s were more believable.
The opening graphics were not as bad as I feared, but were definitely not 007 quality. Far too much of Craig shooting his Walther PPK .380; (don’t make me go into why that is a problem). We have grown accustomed to the sultry, sexual/sensual and awesome graphical intro to the Bond films. This one was not of the same caliber. Ditto on the theme song. It was not a good as past songs but I was fearing worse and it was actually passable relating somewhat to the general theme of the film. The barrel scene was placed at the end of the film. I prefer the beginning but in either case it should be presented with high quality graphics and punctuated with 007 theme song riffs. It was not.
Lots of chases. Most are barely watchable. I actually liked the reference to the traditional 13th century Italian Palio horse race in which the riders can use their longer wooden canes to encourage their steeds or discourage their opponents; and the actual event was supposed to be occurring outside of the chase area.
The knife fight was lame. How did the baddie die anyhow? Please tell me not with the little pair of cuticle scissors Bond had. And if the death blow was to the only wounded area shown, the left jugular, where did all the blood go as Bond let him ‘bleed out’. Not to worry the details because we are soon introduced to THE BOND GIRL. Well, a little anti-climatic because she is not quite as attractive as we are used to although she has very pretty lips. The rest of her seems strangely disproportionate for some reason. It’s also strange that she would return to the baddie who just tried to have her whacked. That has little probability for success for someone who we later learn is “Bolivian Secret Service”. Oh well, not to worry, we are off on another chase, this time with boats. It is perhaps the best done but for the last scene in which the grappling hook is somehow thrown onto the rubber speed boat and flips it from the front of Bond’s boat over the top to the rear…… can’t quite figure the physics out on that one. Not to worry, we’ve docked and Bond mysteriously hands the unconscious maiden who he has just rescued over to a dock attendant…what?
Well were off to track this baddie and somehow reconnected with the GIRL in Bolivia where we eventually learn that the baddie, Mr. Greene of the evil Greene corporation in conjunction with the even eviler Quantum Criminal Consortium LLC has concocted a plot wreaking with the venom of true corporate greed, evil capitalism and nefarious financier-ship; to wit, steal all the fresh water in where? Why Bolivia of course and sell it back to them Bolivians at double the price! MUAHHAHAHAHAHA (evil laugh). We learn at a big party that times are tough in Bolivia because it is costing a weeks wages for an average Bolivian to buy a gallon of clean water! As I remember, the average Bolivian earns about $0.25 per day making the water cost about $1.75 a gallon; pretty much on par with market values in Cleveland. Perhaps this is not the best country for our get richer quicker scheme.
No matter, we are off to the evil opera where the evil baddies are meeting to plan, well, evil. This is where we juxtapose a modernistic version of the Tosca operatic bloodshed whilst Bond dabbles in the real thing dispatching the body guards of the evil biggies who, now discovered & uncovered, are making a hasty retreat for the exits faster than attendees at an Al Gore speech.
No matter, while in Bolivia we are matroned by the closest thing to a real Bond girl, agent Fields. Unfortunately we never really figure out what is beneath that trenchcoat although it appears that Bond does. Also unfortunately for Fields and us, she is quickly eliminated by the baddies in what can only be termed as a ‘crude’ theft of the Goldfinger modus operandi. I would have expected more of a mess but why waste camera time on the slickened Fields when you can spend it on bathroom scenes with….who else….M of course. Perhaps the most difficult what seemed to be15 minutes of the film (as if minutes were hours Mr. Spock) was watching M in her bathrobe apply & remove cold creme. The threat itself would have sent Mr. Greene permanently into pro bono philanthropy. Not finished with us yet, M draws her bath and the tension in the theater built noticeably as we all began to fear that we would be greeted with an au natural scene of her slipping out of the robe into the tub. Fortunately we were spared that experience (wait for the unedited version coming to DVD soon!). However, it just calls into question what fob with a mommy complex of some sort is calling the shots in these films.
M continues to demonstrate why she should not be “M” vacillating from suspecting Bond to needing him back in 00 some 4-5 times during the movie. We did get a glimpse into the possible personality of M’s hubby when he meekly announced, “the calls for you dear on your private line”. Whatever.
M may welcome Bond back with open arms or have him captured or killed, no matter, the BOND GIRL is rescuing Bond in her getaway car, a 1964 VW Beetle. I guess the Bolivian Secret Service does not get to roll like the 00’s in MI6. At least it was a 40HP!
No matter. We are now off to a hotel in the middle of a high plains Bolivian desert. Time to charter a plane…no, not the little Beachcraft Bonanza that would actually be faster and more maneuverable. Choose the DC-3 with a load of cargo on board. Watch out though, you’ll get shot down by the Bolvian Air Force in a single engine Marchetti SIA1 (which I have been corrected on and is a fast little number) I guess the BAF doesn’t get to roll like the 00’s at MI6 either.
No matter because they are both jumping out of that crate with the only parachute. Somehow everything turns out ok after wrestling for 10,000 feet with the BOND GIRL & parachute falling at 120 MPH because the chute opens 20 feet off of our LZ, a nice big soft slab of granite. BTW, the BOND GIRL walks for miles on granite stones in her bare feat…she’s a hearty lass.
It’s off the hotel to find the baddies. The hotel, located in the high plains desert of Bolivia, is called the Plaza del Sol. It is completely self-sufficient and powered by…solar….no you idiot, hydrogen fuel cells. In fact, each room appears to have its own hydrogen fuel cell and its accompanying hydrogen supply tank. The maids must make your bed and refill your hydrogen tank when they replace the shampoo in the bath, I guess. Naturally the hotel, located in the high plains Bolivian desert is made substantially of steel & stone. Unfortunately, the steel & stone in Bolivia is not quite as durable as the steel & stone you and I have grown to love as we discover when Bond causes a baddie car to crash through a wall igniting a hydrogen tank. The rest of the hydrogen tanks ignite sequentially. Darn it, I hate when that happens, you just can’t get good hydrogen tanks anymore. Again, unfortunately, the Bolivian steel & stone burns more like paper mache. Bond battles the Greene baddie but aborts to rescue the BOND GIRL who is caught up in her own subplot vendetta too trite to be explained here. Mr. Greene escapes into the desert only to meet a cryptic fate induced by other unknown baddies and Bond’s 10W-40 payback for the treatment of luscious Agent Fields.
You would be better off waiting for this to hit DVD. At least then you can slo-mo or replay the chase scenes making sense of them, spend more time with the slick Agent Fields and most importantly, FFW or skip over M’s bathroom escapades. You have been warned.