The James Bond film franchise got a reboot in 2006 with Casino Royale. We went back to see how he first started as an MI6 agent. Daniel Craig took on the role and did a fantastic job. It was critically acclaimed and a damn fine action movie. Quantum of Solace picks up right where Casino Royale left off. Bond is a broken hearted man out for revenge. It seems like he is letting personal feelings get the best of him as he searches for the group responsible for his old flame’s betrayal. He mainly has to put his vengeance on hold while trying to find more information about the sleazy Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) and his involvement in the mysterious Quantum organization. Greene is buying a lot of land in Bolivia without anyone really knowing why. The Bond girl this time around is Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko) whose ties are with Greene for her own path of vengeance. Gemma Arterton also has a small role as what could be considered a Bond girl. Anyway, the movie was action PACKED! Seriously it was almost nonstop action. And it kept you interested storywise. I’d rank it up there similar to Casino Royale.
Daniel Craig is a great Bond. In this movie you see how he basically turns into a man who will never love another woman. He was betrayed in Casino Royale by Vesper Lynd and he constantly thinks about it. All he thinks about is revenge. M (Judi Dench) constantly has to check to see if personal feelings are getting the best of him and affecting his job. Greene is an ultimate sleazeball. Just his ugly mug makes you hate him. He’s up to no good from the moment you see him. The thing I like about a typical Bond villain is the build up. There’s always constant confrontation between Bond and the villain until the breaking point at the end of the film. Bond usually gets so under the skin of the villain that they go insane about wanting him dead. Kurylenko and Arterton were hot Bond girls. Arterton’s role was so small that its barely worth mentioning besides being some chick that Bond bangs. The real co-star of the movie was Kurylenko who is basically the 2nd action star of the movie. She plays the tough chick with a troubled history. I thought she did a good job pulling that off.
The action sequences were amazing. The movie opens with an intense car chase scene. It really sets the tone for the movie. You’re on the edge of your seat from the moment the movie starts. Then you get some storyline development and another action scene with Bond chasing a baddie on foot while jumping between buildings, running through houses and crowds, and then some battles. It got me pretty pumped up. The storyline was developed nicely in between the insane action sequences. The only negative thing I can think of is nothing too unpredictable happens. You know there’s going to be some type of death, some smart ass Bond moments, battles, and then a final confrontation with the villain. Nothing shocking like the betrayal of Vesper Lynd at the end of Casino Royale. But there doesn’t always need to be a shocker. This film is far from a call to Tony Montana for a WHACK but its also not a part of Don Corleone’s exclusive MADE group. Almost though. Almost. I would say Casino Royale would be an 8.0 and this is very close to that. Just nothing new.
IMDB – 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes – 67%
Movie Wiseguys – 7.5/10