Quantum of Solace

What's It All About?
Looking for revenge after Vesper's death, James Bond uncovers a secret evil organisation who are making dodgy deals with third-world governments and the like. But are his feelings getting in the way of his ability as a double-o? M certainly thinks so.

Pre-Thoughts
This was the follow-up to my favourite Bond film, and it promised more of everything. This was going to be twice as action-packed and twice as gritty. What more could you wish for?

Post-Thoughts
A real case of 'be careful what you wish for'. It is twice as action-packed, but to the point of action for action's sake. It is twice as gritty, but to a point where the lightness has been vacuumed out.

So the film is dark. Understandable, really. Bond is heartless and on a mission for revenge. He's allowed to be dark. The problem is that the film-makers haven't embraced this darkness. Perhaps to avoid comparisons to the Bourne franchise, glimmers of the old, quippy Bond can be seen.

Notable amongst these are the frequent trips back to M and her assistant and a second Bond girl played by Gemma Arterton. The first recalls every police chief in every 'cop on the edge' movie, cursing the heavens that they ever let such a maverick on the force. They even find time to include the requisite 'fired from the case' scene, just before he manages to solve the whole thing.

Gemma Arterton, as Agent Strawberry Fields, is a whole other level of cliché. The prissy, straight-laced, Fields has stepped right out of an older, camper Bond that I'm surprised her names wasn't more of a rude double entendre. And well all just know that Bond would bed her from the moment she uttered her first perfectly formed syllable.

Let us not blame Miss Arterton though. She plays the role with style and skill, and perhaps seven years ago she would have been welcome amongst Bond's ensemble. But in this age of no-frills Bond, she stands out like a three-piece suit at a nudist convention.

Thank the heavens then, for Olga Kurylenko as the feisty Camilla. Like Vesper before her, Camilla isn't just a girl for Bond to use and abuse. She is his equal, with a story and a personality to boot. It'd have been great to see more sparring and banter between the two of them, but the little that exists is sparky and well-written.

The film would have been amazing if not released when it was. Because it is when held up to Casino Royale that Quantum falls. The story feels more schizophrenic, thanks to the plot's tenancy to only stay in one country long enough for a chat and a fight. Casino Royale was leaner and held an arc.

And perhaps my biggest gripe is the lack of any low-point. Again, the comparisons to Casino Royale don't flatter. Bond fails in that film: he loses, he gets poisoned, he gets tortured, and he gets betrayed. Here, he hardly breaks a sweat. It robs the film of jeopardy and leaves it feeling rather flat.

But...

I feel bad leaving it at that, on a negative note. The film delivers, when the chips are down. Daniel Craig once again proves doubters wrong, and is well on his way to being the best Bond ever. The fights are kinetic and brutal. And it is still Bond done well.

And what more could you wish for?