Review for Quantum of Solace

Director: Marc Forster

Released: 2008

Genre: Spy Thriller

I'll begin this critique by saying that I am a die-hard fan of the James Bond series. Granted, none of the installments released after 1969 are very good, with the possible exception of The Spy Who Loved Me, but I'm sure many other Bond fans would disagree. I'll say that the first three films are the best and leave it at that. I've seen all twenty "legitimate" Bond films that were made before Daniel Craig assumed the role of the lovable and distinctly misogynistic super-spy, so I know what to expect in a Bond film if it is good- and if it is bad. Quantum of Solace left me thoroughly nonplussed- over the course of time, it will fall somewhere in the middle of the James Bond quality spectrum.

The worst Bond film in my opinion is 2002's Die Another Day. I watched that in theaters and was disgusted, hoping the Bond series would meet its demise on that day rather than at sometime in the future. I was so disenchanted with the franchise that I refused to watch Casino Royale when it came out four years later, despite the positive reception from fans and critics alike. It was with great reluctance that I watched Quantum of Solace. After seeing Craig's second attempt to match Sean Connery's instant likability, I can say that Quantum of Solace is an improvement on Die Another Day.

That isn't saying much, however. I didn't dislike Craig's performance (it sort of reminded me of Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights and License to Kill), despite the low level of finess involved, but I detested the direction and cinematography. There are way too many "Bourne Identity-esque" action scenes, none of which I found very exhilarating; the average shot length throughout the film rivals Armageddon in terms of brevity. There was little sense of space or perspective, because the camera kept bobbing around, constantly switching angles. In the end stunt sequence, I wasn't even sure which characters were hanging off ledges and shooting at Bond because the camera work is so hectic. I think cinematographers should have a limit of two cameras to work with to prevent such a stylistic faux pas- a written request would have to be sent to the corporate bigwigs in Hollywood for more cameras when the situation truly requires it.

The plot in Quantum of Solace is par for a post Connery Bond film; a villain with too much money, greed and imagination tries to destabilize world society for his benefit- in this case, an international network of villains (that MI6 hasn't even heard of) attempt to help a deposed Bolivian dictator regain control of his country in exchange for swaths of seemingly worthless desert. I won't reveal the plot twist related to the acquisition of this land, but needless to say it provides at best a minor revelation as to the true workings of the mysterious organization (referred to as Quantum).

Also, good Bond villains normally have a lot of character. The baddie in this film, Dominique Greene, is curiously lacking in this department. He's very violent and seems to have some sort of sexual infatuation with his work, but that's where his idiosyncrasies end- he doesn't have mechanical hands, he doesn't attempt to sever Bond in twain with a laser, and he doesn't kill his assistants in a pool of sharks or piranhas while listening to classical music. Since he doesn't have strange obsessions aside from environmentalism, or do anything to others that would be horribly painful in real life, but at once thrilling and funny to watch happen to someone else on screen, he just doesn't live up to Goldfinger. Overall it was very unsatisfying.

In conclusion, watching Quantum of Solace is like watching a Bourne movie, but with more color, faster cuts, even less realism and a few more women. The era when Hollywood thrillers become indistinguishable from one another is fast approaching.

2.25/4.00