Quantum of Solace (2008)

Score: 6/10

As other Bond movies, Quantum of Solace starts with a bang, in this case a car chase. James Bond (Daniel Craig) is still upset due to the last event in the previous installment, Casino Royale, where Vesper, his girlfriend, died. He does not have time to grieve though because he gets involved with a secret organization that intends to control one of the most important resources in the earth.

I believe this organization is called Quantum and they plan to overthrow Bolivian government as a part of their grand scheme to control the resource. Many influential people are members of the Quantum and this mission in Bolivia is led by an energy tycoon, Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric).

MI6 knows that something is going on in Bolivia and thus M (Judi Dench) decides to send Bond to investigate. Thereafter, Bond starts his conquest to unravel the mystery behind Greene’s activities. The movie includes numerous action sequences. There’s a chase on the rooftop, a fight on the scaffolding, a plane chase, and a fiery hotel explosion. Of course, there are women as well as Bond’s trademark.

I should say that I am disappointed with the movie. Besides a cunning agent, Bond is usually portrayed as cool and elegant. In Quantum of Solace, he becomes a … Marvel comic stuntman. He jumps around everywhere doing plenty of acrobatic moves. Moreover, he has attitude problem and needs to go to a psychiatrist for anger management. The camera jerks and swoops confusingly, which gives me a headache. I have no idea what the intention is. How the heck we can follow what is happening with that kind of camera movement.

The mission of the bad guy is also absurdly complicated (how many years they will break even with that kind of investment is beyond my comprehension). Even to set a meeting involves a difficult and, in my opinion, an unnecessary arrangement. The security of a so called super secret organization is unbelievably weak. I don’t know how Greene can survive because it seems very easy to kill him if someone is willing enough.

Women are an important part in every James Bond movie. There are two in Quantum of Solace, a Bolivian agent, Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko), and an MI6 agent, Strawberry Fields (Gemma Arterton). Both are attractive, but if we compare with previous casts, they are … below average.

The acting is generally okay and sufficient for a Bond movie. The story needs a major improvement though (as well as the title, what does it mean anyway??). Hopefully they make a more elegant Bond for the next installment. I have no problem with action sequence, but this is James Bond for goodness sake, not a comic book character.

For more info on Quantum of Solace, you can visit these links:
- IMDB: Quantum of Solace
- James Bond Official Site

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