Matt's Quantum of Solace review

First off, I liked Quantum of Solace. It is a nice return to a more classic “shaken, not stirred” James Bond, with maybe a hint of whiskey.

The story is well constructed, but can’t survive as a stand-alone movie. It’s much more a sequel to Casino Royale and having not seen Casino since it was in theaters (I’m not sure why this is…I’m a little disappointed in myself) I had forgotten some of the finer details. Greene is an excellent villain, reminding me of The Dark Knight’s Joker in his fight scene. Mathieu Amalric did an excellent job of depicting him as a completely vile yet slippery fiend. Camille and Agent Field’s make for great Bond girls. [SPOILER ALERT] You can see Field’s crossover coming almost when she enters the scene. I especially loved the throwback to 007 past with her death. And I agree with Steve, she looks smoking hot covered in oil. Call me a weirdo. Go for it. [END SPOILERS]

Here’s my only real complaint. The editing during some of the action sequences bugged the crap out of me. The jerky camera and super fast cuts are getting really annoying. I tensed a little in the opening car chase thinking that the entire movie was going to be like this, but after the chase, it settled down a bit and we got a good look at the action. I honestly hope this “Bourne” style filming trend dies quickly or at least tames itself.

What I liked most was Bond’s portrayal as a crazed man so wrapped up in revenge. But they made him this way through his actions in the story, allowing Daniel Craig to retain a stylish Bond charm and demeanor. I thoroughly enjoy watching Craig as Bond and I hope he stays on for a while, since James Bond is forever.

Another point that I liked was, well, the title and how it was such a central theme throughout the movie. The characters really had very little [quantum] to hang on to [of solace]. I think the longest I sat without being thrust into a new bit of action was maybe ten minutes. My palms were sweaty when I left the theater. Seriously. This is by far the most action packed Bond movie to date.

All in all, Quantum of Solace is a solid action flick worthy of the Bond family name. Although it doesn’t quite live up to Casino Royale, I’m not sure there will be one for some time. I like the grittier and more realistic direction the franchise is moving in and hope they can fine tune a few points to turn out another great movie.

8 out of 10

M