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'Quantum' leaps, but onto shaking ground
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Quantum of Solace
Let's just get this out of the way now so that the question isn't plaguing your mind the entire review: Quantum of Solace isn't as good as Bond's triumphant re-re-return in Casino Royale. I probably wouldn't list it in my top eight, but that isn't to say that the new film isn't a solid entry into the greatest franchise in film history. After seeing the film twice (it's even better the second time at the Uptown) it's clear that Daniel Craig's Bond is a definite keeper, but that, like all Bonds, his films will vary in terms of their greatness.
Quantum opens with an breathtaking action sequence that picks up almost exactly where the last film left off and basically sets the tone for the entire film. It's the perfect introduction to this installment of the Bond series which focuses much more on the action sequences and hard hits than its predecessor. Of course this series of films (there will probably be a third in this story arc) are supposed to show how Bond became the man we all know and love and death defying action sequences had to show up at some point if that is the case. This is one of the features that makes this film a better action movie, but not a better Bond.
Bond, hardened and cold from the death of Vesper in Casino Royale, is on the trail of the organization who drove her to suicide. M (Judi Dench) is hot on his heels making sure that he's not motivated by "inconsolable rage" and the organization is an evil group of rich people who use money to topple governments and control much of the world. It's actually a pretty classic Bond plot except the world domination is done in a far more subtle way than a giant hollowed out volcano. The screenwriters even give a little nod to Goldfinger in the film, while also semi-subtly expressing the fact that oil is the modern day world's new gold. Sadly the overall feeling of the film is that it never really gets where it is going. Seeing it a second time the story unfolded far better, but the first time around it felt like I was moving from one action sequences to another without really knowing why.
Then again, why ask why when Craig is delivering such a spectacular interpretation of Bond. In Craig's two films he's developer the character more than anyone else did since Connery and gotten a whole lot deeper. His progression into the womanizing, alcohol guzzling death machine that Bond is is captured brilliantly in the film and it's mostly thanks to his strikingly restrained performance. Anyone who misses what is going on mentally in Bond's head during this film is ignoring one of the best performances in action cinema ever, and that isn't hyperbole. His Bond doesn't have as many pithy one liners yet, but it's clear those are all in the developmental stage. We haven't quite hit a point in this version of Bond where he would be saying things like "Shocking. Positively shocking," but we can see how we'll get there. Plus, the man can fill out a Tom Ford suit like none other. I don't think a Bond has been dressed so well since Connery donned a three piece gray suit in Goldfinger.
As far as the rest of the cast goes the film doesn't fail. M plays a much larger role in this film, which is fine by me as I always thought the relationship between the two characters was underdeveloped. I'm not really sure how any actress could hope to follow up on Eva Green's Vesper, but Olga Kurylenko does a decent enough job of playing against Bond and the writers were smart enough to have them not sleep together.
The real failure in character is Bond's nemesis this time around. Dominic Greene (Mathiue Amalric), is the figurehead of the organization controlling everything and as a Bond villain he just comes off flat. Their isn't much that is terribly sinister about him and his overall presence on screen is so dwarfed by Bond's that you don't really feel the final battle is anything but an inevitable conclusion. Contrary to popular belief, it isn't the women who make a Bond film it's his enemies. As such the idea behind Greene and the Quantum organization is a good one, but Greene's execution as a character is not.
As a whole, and partly because of all the action crammed in, the film lacks the heart of Casino Royale and sadly trades much of the darker revenge aspects for parachuting out of crashing planes and fights in exploding hotels. So we've got Bond (anyone who says Craig isn't Bond is crazy), we've got action, we've got women and we've got drinks, but we've come to expect more from Bond thanks to Casino Royale. While Quantum of Solace is in line with the ideals of the new Bond direction, it doesn't quite hit the nail on the head. Luckily for us James Bond will return.
Oh, and in case you read my Casino Royale review's last sentence. It's back, just not where you remember it.
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