Quantum of Solace 2008 Featuring Daniel Craig as James Bond 007

My curiosity was piqued when I read that Roger Moore was not pleased with the way that the James Bond films have morphed to keep up with modern times.  The James Bond of the past was uber charming, cunning and brilliant.  The James Bond of today is extremely handsome (especially his blue eyes) but troubled and scrappy.   If I had to guess, I would say that Roger Moore is put off by the amount of violence, action sequences, lack of intellect and story line.

The movie began with a violent, rooftop chase scene that lasted so long that I went to the restroom and came back and the chase was still on.  I felt like I was experiencing deja vu because the chase was similar to the rooftop chase scene in Bourne Ultimatum.   I dug around a bit and found out that Quantum of Solace has the same editors that were on the Bourne Ultimatum project.  Perhaps there is not a never ending stream of new ideas or maybe blockbuster movies are so formulaic that they recycle?

Although I was bored with the beginning chase scene, I was very impressed with the stunt work (Daniel Craig does his own), as well as the almost impossible action shots that they managed to capture.  At the same time, I felt very confused by the action scenes.  The over editing made me feel like I was upsidown on a merry-go-round whirling round and round.  It was impossible to make heads or tails of what was actually happening.

The plot begins one hour after Bond’s lover, Vesper, was killed and Bond spends the entire movie seeking revenge for his lover’s death.  The plot thickens a bit when a second story line develops around a villian named Dominic Greene, played by Mathieu Amalric.  James Bond becomes estranged from his employer and chief (played by Dame Judi Dench) and becomes a fugitive as he tries to derail Dominic Greene and to get to the bottom of Vesper’s murder at any cost.  There is a beautiful woman named Camille, played by Olga Kurylenko who is Bond’s partner in arms, not his lover.  In this film, the emotionally distraught Bond helps Camille without any promise of a sexual relationship or tryst, which shows the vulnerable side of Bond.

The setting for this film was beautiful and diverse, from Italy to Bolivia to the desert and from cars to boats to planes. Quantum of Solace definitely delivers if you are up for an action packed adventure.  If you are expecting gadgets, beautiful cars and a playboy Bond, you will be disappointed.   The women in this film were named Camille, Fields and M as opposed to Bond girls from the past named Honey Ryder, Pussy Galore, Jill Masterson, Octopussy and Fiona Volpe.  I think there is a distinct line separting old school James Bond from new school James Bond and it really comes down to preference.

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