Quantum of Solace
November 27, 2008
Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in this sometimes exciting, sometimes tedious sequel to “Casino Royale”, seeking revenge for those who double-crossed him and led to the death of his lover. The revenge element seems to be a direct influence of the popular Jason Bourne films, Bond has never needed a personal motivation to want to destroy bad guys intent on ruling the world, but here he has a need to put a meaning to his suffering, which leads more to destructive action sequences than maintaining the new plot, something to do with a third world coup and water hording. Craig is good in the tortured hero role, breaking out some textbook charm when seducing the routine Bond girl (either Gemma Arterton or Olga Kurylenko, neither particularly realized characters), and commanding in the hectic fight sequences, but we miss his ironic intellectual duels with the villain (Mathieu Amalric, a step down from “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”), as seen in “Casino Royale's” improbable but exciting poker scenes. Some of the disappointment has to do with weighty expectations, given the success and high entertainment value of 'Royale', which rebooted a stagnant franchise, but mostly it's the reliance on action over plot that hurts most, and director Marc Forster, known more for character driven films like “Finding Neverland”, “Monster's Ball”, and “Stranger Than Fiction”, relies too much on fast cutting and expensive pyrotechnics, as if unsure how to segue into the blockbuster action genre. I can't say the film is hard to watch, Craig is amusing, his women are attractive, and the occasional action sequence (an opening car chase, an airborne plane duel) is riveting, but it's a mixed bag; save the butt kicking and psycho-analysis for Matt Damon, we like our Bond cool, collected, and surrounded by neat gadgets.
By Adam Suraf