Directly following on from 2006's 'Casino Royale', Bond's latest outing 'Quantum of Solace' is the first true sequel of the Bond series. After the success of Casino Royale, the series had set itself very high expectations. Hopefully, the bizarrely titled Quantum of Solace could deliver.
Quantum of Solace sparks into life immediately, as we find Bond (Daniel Craig) engaged in a car chase, shortly after the events of the previous film. After meeting up with M (Judi Dench) in Siena, the pair are betrayed by M's bodyguard, which kicks off the plot. Unfortunately, this is also the point where the film stops making any sense. It doesn't seem to know which topical subject it's trying to give a vague commentary on, alternating between civil wars, oil, drought and corrupt government organisations faster than you can say “Shaken, not stirred”. After Casino Royale, the plot is a bit of a let down, although with a title like Quantum of Solace, it's hardly surprising.
On the plus side, what the film lacks in plot, it makes up for in action and locations. As well as the opening car chase, there's also a boat, plane, and rooftop chase, all frantically paced and none of them unnecessarily drawn out. Bond has also stopped treating his body count like a golf score, instead opting for a more brutal approach, which is always engaging and gritty. The film seems to have taken more than a couple of notes from the Bourne movies when it comes to action and location hopping, and this is no bad thing, as it's resulted in a fast paced, action packed experience that, while occasionally clunky, is nevertheless entertaining.
While the performances in general are good, they all pale in comparison to Daniel Craig. After deservedly reprising the role after his excellent portrayal of Bond in Casino Royale, Craig is no worse in Quantum of Solace, with an great performance throughout. The man is an immense talent, and a true method actor (performing many of his stunts in the film), and his consistently great performances should convince any doubters that he is a more than suitable choice for the lead role.
While it's not going to please the hardcore Bond fans, who insist on clinging to their ideals of a stereotyped and altogether dated and predictable Bond, Quantum of Solace is still a good film. There are some flaws, particularly when it comes to the plot, but it's still a fast paced, gritty, and entertaining film.
3/5
Does anyone know what Quantum of Solace actually means?
Never really liked Pierce Brosnan anyway – tomdoodle16@live.co.uk
2 comments:
Hey Tom, it's Daemon. Nice review.
Anyway, I did some searching and found a possible explanation for the title.
Check it out.
http://mymoviesdatabase.blogspot.com/2008/02/meaning-of-quantum-of-solace.html
Hey, It's Magic_Doom from Zantive.
Yeah, Daniel Craig did an interview on Australian talk show Rove. He said that he was talking to the producer/director or something, that you can tell if a relationship is going to work when you meet a woman and you have to have that "Quantum of Solace" in between them. Something like that. It was a few weeks ago.
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