Movie: Quantum of Solace

Sequels are always compared to the original, regardless of whether or not it's fair to do so. In the case of Quantum of Solace, it may not be fair, since the film has a different director and head writer than it's predecessor, Casino Royale. I remember the skepticism that Dainel Craig faced as the first blond Bond, and how quickly that turned around with the elegant, moody, story-driven success of Casino Royale. Quantum of Solace shares a common plot thread and the some of the same characters, but doesn't share much else. This new chapter delivers plenty of car chases and fight scenes, but emerges as only a mildly entertaining chapter in the Bond franchise.

In Quantum of Solace, the newly minted 00 James Bond (Daniel Craig) follows his bloodlust to uncover the organization responsible for his lover Vesper's demise. The little-known Quantum has "people everywhere," even within the special service. Bond eliminates more leads than he interrogates, prompting his boss M (Judi Dench) to question his motives and take him off the case. Bond continues pursuing Quantum anyway, fueled by more of a selfish revenge than for any duty to Vesper.

This is Marc Forster's first action-heavy film, so some rather easy editing is employed. The shake-cam and super-fast cuts make it difficult to focus on the copious action scenes. True to the tone of Casino Royale, we're rewarded with occasional glimpses of despertate men fighting dirty, and the effect is cringeworthy. Unfortunately, these scenes are often interrupted with more motion-sickness-inducing camerawork and editing.

The story doesn't hold much water, either. Precious little time is given to establishing the tone, apart from M's "I thought I could trust you, I thought you weren't motivated by revenge" theme, which is treated like an interruption to the action scenes. We know from Casino Royale that Bond is angrier at himself than he is at Vesper, and his quest for revenge is as disconcerting and narrow as staring down a gun's barrel. It's interesting to see how Bond could transform from a quippy globetrotter into a ruthless, womanizing killer, but unless you're viewing Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace back-to-back, this transition may seem too quick.

We might feel differently about Bond's quest if Quantum's bad guys were more interesting or ire-worthy. Instead of the cruel and calculated snake that was LeChiffe, we're introduced to Dominic Greene, a banker, politico, and worm. The villanry for nearly all of the men in the movie is established more by their constant rape threats than their evil plots. Instead of the campy "save me James!" scenarios, the dark tone of the movie makes these attacks more disturbing, until they start occurring with more frequency, as if the writers were asked to make the bad guys more evil and weren't creative enough to come up with a better way. To be fair, there is some attention given to the socio-political manipulations and master plan of Quantum. Not enough screen time is given to these machinations, so their danger seems remote.

Quantum of Solace may be acting as a sort of bridge between Casino Royale and the rest of the franchise. Between the dark and emotional Casino Royale and the campy Bond we know from the rest of the series, Quantum seeks to wedge in the destructive protagonist with nothing to lose. Here's hoping that the next Bond will develop a sense of humor and a steadier camera.