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REVIEW: 'Quantum of Solace' lives up to expectations
4 and a half out of 5 stars
Paresh Jha
Issue date: 11/18/08 Section: Focus
Hot on the heels of "Casino Royale," Daniel Craig suits up once again as the British spy with a license to kill. Oh and kill he does. "Quantum of Solace" features a Bond as brutal as you have ever witnessed. The film begins with a car chase that is not your typical Bond car chase. Previous movies ("Casino Royale" aside) have featured graceful and extremely elegant (albeit unbelievable), car chases. "Quantum of Solace" starts off with a rough and tough car chase that oozes of realism and brutality. Aside from the fact that it retains a sense of style thanks to the use of an Aston Martin, that is where the elegance really stops. Bond's car is banged around, scratched and almost hurtled off a cliff.
The rough and tough theme doesn't just stop with gadgets and automobiles; it continues with Bond's tact when handling his enemies. "Casino Royale" left off with Bond's love interest Vesper betraying and sacrificing herself for Bond all at once. If you think this spy is over that little incident, think again. Craig truly brings that tragic sense of a lost warrior to Bond throughout the film. He's juggling a wide array of emotions, ranging from sorrow to revenge and Craig effortlessly pours them onto the screen. His sarcasm and dark humor are also far more evident in this movie than in "Casino Royale."
As for the villain, do not expect your typical alpha male with a metal jaw bent on world domination. Dominic Greene (Mathieu Almaric) looks more like your Business School professor as opposed to a high roller in one of the most secretive and notorious world organizations (known as Quantum) in existence. While he is competent in the role he never seems to give off that sense of dread that Le Chiffre had in "Casino Royale."
As always, the Bond girl is beautiful and dangerous. Olga Kurylenko's character is seeking revenge (much like Bond) for the death of her family when she was a child. While her back story seems forced, she is able to evoke a sense of empathy from the audience, especially in the final scenes. Judi Dench is as stone cold as ever as M and this film is no different. It was interesting to see her relationship with Bond develop a bit more in this movie.
While the movie is emotionally gripping, there was something missing that made it not as good as its predecessor. Perhaps it was director Marc Forster's inexperience with action sequences. His credits include the dialogue heavy "Finding Neverland" and "Monster's Ball."
The movie had many action sequences, but they were disjointed and never seemed to pack the punch they should have.
Regardless, "Quantum of Solace" is a fantastic film worthy of the excellence started by "Casino Royale." By the end of the film we see a Bond ready to take on his duty as an agent and a man who finally found a quantum of solace (yeah, the title is a bit awkward but it has a purpose). Daniel Craig is the best thing to happen to this franchise since Sean Connery, and he has two more films under his contract. Let's hope that this tradition of good filmmaking continues.
The rough and tough theme doesn't just stop with gadgets and automobiles; it continues with Bond's tact when handling his enemies. "Casino Royale" left off with Bond's love interest Vesper betraying and sacrificing herself for Bond all at once. If you think this spy is over that little incident, think again. Craig truly brings that tragic sense of a lost warrior to Bond throughout the film. He's juggling a wide array of emotions, ranging from sorrow to revenge and Craig effortlessly pours them onto the screen. His sarcasm and dark humor are also far more evident in this movie than in "Casino Royale."
As for the villain, do not expect your typical alpha male with a metal jaw bent on world domination. Dominic Greene (Mathieu Almaric) looks more like your Business School professor as opposed to a high roller in one of the most secretive and notorious world organizations (known as Quantum) in existence. While he is competent in the role he never seems to give off that sense of dread that Le Chiffre had in "Casino Royale."
As always, the Bond girl is beautiful and dangerous. Olga Kurylenko's character is seeking revenge (much like Bond) for the death of her family when she was a child. While her back story seems forced, she is able to evoke a sense of empathy from the audience, especially in the final scenes. Judi Dench is as stone cold as ever as M and this film is no different. It was interesting to see her relationship with Bond develop a bit more in this movie.
While the movie is emotionally gripping, there was something missing that made it not as good as its predecessor. Perhaps it was director Marc Forster's inexperience with action sequences. His credits include the dialogue heavy "Finding Neverland" and "Monster's Ball."
The movie had many action sequences, but they were disjointed and never seemed to pack the punch they should have.
Regardless, "Quantum of Solace" is a fantastic film worthy of the excellence started by "Casino Royale." By the end of the film we see a Bond ready to take on his duty as an agent and a man who finally found a quantum of solace (yeah, the title is a bit awkward but it has a purpose). Daniel Craig is the best thing to happen to this franchise since Sean Connery, and he has two more films under his contract. Let's hope that this tradition of good filmmaking continues.
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