Like almost everyone who saw Casino Royale, I fell in love with the brutal and dark yet smart and heartfelt reboot of the James Bond franchise. It was everything a fan could ask for and anticipation was high in 2008 when Quantum of Solace came out. Another sequel to a reboot titled The Dark Knight opened to breathtaking success, grossing $1 billion and being hailed as a masterpiece and it has proven itself as one of cinema's newest modern classics. Most people expected this for QOS, as it had a strong director in Marc Forster and the return of Daniel Craig as Bond. Quantum of Solace proved to be a solid and entertaining action film, but little more than that.
Quantum of Solace picks up mere minutes after Casino Royale, with Bond driving away from henchmen in Italy after he kidnapped Mr. White at the end of the last film. The opening car chase is exciting and fun, but edited so rapidly and quickly it fills rigid and difficult to watch. Marc Forster is known for his quiet dramas like Finding Neverland but there have been times when directors of quieter fare have been great choices for action franchises (Marc Webb for Spider-Man, Christopher Nolan for Batman), but Forster's direction of Bond is honestly rather than messy. Four years later it was proven a drama director can handle Bond as seen with Sam Mendes in Skyfall, but that is a different story.
The main plot sees Bond tying up loose ends from Casino Royale and looking for Quantum, the organization that caused the tragedy in which Bond lost Vesper Lynd. The setup feels like an epilogue to Casino Royale more than actual sequel, and it is way too fast at 106 minutes to have time grow into its own, especially after Casino Royale's epic 144 minute running time. Bond's search leads him to South America, where he joins forces with Camille Montes, portrayed by Olga Kurylenko to avenge the death of both of their loved ones by taking out one of Quantum's heads Dominic Greene, who has a plot to take over Bolivia's water supply. This plot is actually a good idea for a commentary on environmentalism and a rather good motivation, but it is kind of rushed as the plot is only discovered near the films's end.
The middling plot is overshadowed by Daniel Craig's fantastic performance as James Bond. This time, Bond is a tortured soul who is lost after Vesper's death and Craig makes it seem realistic with another brutal performance. Craig is charming but also is deadly and a stone cold killer, just like Ian Fleming imagined the character. Olga Kurylenko is rather dull as Camille, not having enough personality but she proves to be a capable character, she is forgettable. Despite having a brief appearence, Gemma Arterton is charming and sexy as ill-fated MI6 agent Strawberry Fields, who reminds of me the 1960's Bond girls (specifically Diana Rigg from On Her Majesty's Secret Service). Jeffrey Wright also returns as Felix Leiter, providing a stylish and calm performance, despite being underused. Also returning is Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis, who is great as he looks for redemption after being accused of betraying Bond in the last film. Mathieu Almeric is unfortunately bland and forgettable as Dominic Greene, who is neither threatening or memorable.
Like in Casino Royale, there is no gadgets which means no Q or no Moneypenny as well. Judi Dench is also back as M, and is better in this film than in Casino Royale. She seems angered at Bond for his reckless ways but by the end of the film, we really do believe that she cares for Bond which is an integral part of Skyfall as well as closer to Ian Fleming's novels. Rory Kinnear also portrays M's aide Bill Tanner, a familiar character from the novels and earlier Bond films. Kinnear's Tanner is a minor role, but is strong and given more to do with his supporting role, and it is nice to see a familiar face from MI6 return. Marc Forster has a great filmography, but Quantum of Solace is unfortunately a messy effort from him, with his direction losing a lot of the plot for tons of action sequences that are too rapidly filmed and way too long. The film was written during the writer's strike and Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis can't capture the magic of Casino Royale in their script. Despite that, the brief moments of dialogue with Bond and M is still well-written and fantastic.
Quantum of Solace is entertaining and exciting, but rather dissapointing as a direct sequel to Casino Royale. The cast is mostly solid and some of the action provides thrills, but is rigid and Marc Forster's direction is way too fast paced. The theme song titled "Another Way to Die" has a mixed reception among fans, but for I honestly loved it. Rock singer Jack White and R&B artist Alicia Keys give what they can and provide a memorable theme. As stated earlier, this film is underwhelming and dissapointing, but provides an excellent lead performance and manages to deliver some popcorn thrills.
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