Review: Quantum of Solace

What worked for the re-boot of the Bond franchise Casino Royale, was, of course hot Daniel Craig but also just the right mix of emotional involvement, love story and intense, well-executed action sequences. This time you get non-stop action and a cold detachment that makes you feel a little less invested in what happens to Bond than you might like.

"Quantum" picks up an hour after "Casino". Bond has captured the evil Mr. White who was partially responsible for the death of Bond's love Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) and this launches the domino-effect chase/fight/clever fight/more clever chase sequence chain that makes up the whole film. There is also an investigation into what evil mastermind (the staple of Bond films) Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) is up to when he buys up acres and acres of isolated land as part of his plan to control the world's water supply.

Along for the ride and certainly pulling her own weight, is revenge-seeking Camille (Olga Kurylenko) who teams with Bond to carry out her own family vendetta.

"Quantum" is so action-packed and quickly-edited that I often wondered, 'who is in that car?' or 'uh, where did Bond go?' Non-stop action buffs will probably go nutso for this kind of editing but I like to know what just happened. However, I really thought several of the fight scenes, especially one in an all-glass structure and a scary fire scene at movie's end, were very cleverly choreographed and shot.

Cinematography was excellent although the digital print I saw of the film produced muted colors. The blue of the sea was steel-grey and even Craig's ultra blue eyes were toned down, perhaps to match Bond's mood.. sullen and driven which reminds me of another problem. Where is Bond's signature dry humor and double-entendre joking? We don't have to get down to the goofiness of say the Roger Moore Bonds but a little of Bond's clever asides would have been nice. There are a couple...but that's it.

So, wrapping up, is this Bond film worth seeing? Definitely! Daniel Craig continues to make an excellent Bond for our modern age. And, although there is some femme eye-candy that Bond does hook up with, the so-called Bond Girl in this movie gets nowhere near more than a grateful kiss and kicks butt right alongside the uber-spy. I like that. You'll be completely entertained but I needed a little more heart and humor.... maybe next time.

For a worthy but slightly flawed second installment in the new Bond Franchise..3.5 out of 5 stars

Quantum of Solace is now playing in theaters.