Nov 09, 2008 07:34 PM
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Casino Royale bought about a new dawn in James Bond films. Previously known for its typical unbelievable storyline, with tons of gadgets and action sequences; Casino Royale changed everything. A bond who is more of an assassin than the charmer, lack of gadgets, extremely violent action sequences and above all, a lot more faithful to the modern day world. Quantum Of Solace is no different, continuing from where Casino Royale left off. For possibly the first time, this film is a proper sequel to Casino Royale; a first for a Bond film.
The movie starts off with James Bond(Daniel Craig) kidnapping Mr. White and making him meet M, the head of MI6. Mr. White reveals that he works for an organization that has men everywhere including the secret service. Saving M from an assassination attempt by her own bodyguard, Bond makes his way to Haiti where he learns that Dominic Greene(Mathieu Almaric) head of Greene enterprises is a major player in this mysterious organization simply known as Quantum. Quantum’s new project is the sponsorship of a coup in Bolivia. Helped by Camille(Olga Kuryenko) Bond sets out to stop this coup and to uncover Quantum and finally to avenge Vesper Lynd’s death; as shown in the previous film.
The premise of Quantum Of Solace is extremely promising but the execution is far from perfect. For starters, you know nothing about the organization except its name. Its modus operandi, its long term goals etc. are totally unclear. Of course, this would imply that there is definitely another sequel in the offing but one feels that the makers have left far too much for the next film. Thus, in essence, QOS is more of Bond’s drive to take revenge on Vesper’s killers, which is possibly the only thing he achieves in the entire movie and that too is unclear once the movie is over.
What works in this movie big time are the action sequences. Each and every sequence is a new landmark in Bond films. Like Casino Royale, most scenes are violent and contain lots of blood spattering. QOS works superbly as a stand-alone action movie and even non-Bond fans will enjoy these scenes and they are sure to get their money’s worth.
Among the actors, Mathieu Almaric is one of the weakest villains in a Bond film. Olga Kuryenko is just about alright, Gemma Arterton as agent fields is wasted and Judi Dench is typical. The movie once again belongs to Daniel Craig, who simply carries on from where he left off in the previous film. As the edgy, violent and imperfect secret agent, Craig suits the troubled times we are in where substance is more important than style. Unfortunately, for traditionalists Bond has possibly crossed a point of no return. They may never get to see the old swagger, the old charm and the old dialogues again. Bond has changed forever.
Quantum Of Solace is at best a decent Bond flick. But, as a stand-alone action movie one would rate it a lot more higher. High on octane, but low on content is the biggest bane of this film, but that doesn’t stop it from being a highly entertaining film. One would reckon that this film’s value will be a lot clear only when the next installment releases and answers the many questions that’ll be running in a viewer’s mind as he walks out of the theatre.
Quantum Of Solace gets 3 out of 5.
