I've noticed a trend in the James Bond pictures, perhaps you have too. They seem to come in cycles, where the first in the cycle is hard edged, dark, and generally very well received. As they progress forward, however, it becomes more and more difficult to hold onto that edge, slowly slipping into a world of silliness. Inevitably they hit a low point (Moonraker, A View to a Kill, Die Another Day) and the franchise needs to be rebooted. Those inevitable reboots never last, unfortunately, and the cycle repeats itself. So following the most daring reboot in the franchise's history - Casino Royale - it is interesting to see if this new cycle of Bond can finally overcome the failings of past installments and actually continue with what made Royale so refreshing.The short answer is no, Quantum of Solace does not live up to what was started two years ago. This feels much more like typical Bond fare, which may be a good thing, may be bad, depending on your opinion of the franchise. Gone is the character development of the last film, instead replaced by wall to wall action. I think what makes many of the earliest Bond films stand out to this day is that they didn't rely too heavily on action set pieces. Take Goldfinger, still considered the quintessential 007 outing. Bond spends half the movie hanging out with his enemy, just talking. Casino Royale followed in that tradition with the drawn out poker game at its center. It's fun to get to know your characters so that when the action does occur, it has more of a resonance, a sense of danger. It's surprising to see that director Marc Forster, a man known for films focused more on talking and characters than action, is so keen on moving the film along at a brisk, unrelenting pace. And while the action may be a bit much for my own taste, it's undenibale that some of these action scenes are the most kinetic of the franchise's history. If you like big action, you won't be let down here.
Solace picks up just where the last film left off, with the mysterious Mr. White being interrogated about the organization he works for. Bond seems interested in only one thing - revenge for his lost love Vesper. The theme of the film ends up being how Bond comes to reconcile his job with his emotions. At the start he has no problem shooting first and asking questions second, but by the film's end he seems to realize there is more to it than just revenge. Sure, he will always have that dark side to him, but it becomes tempered by his need to do the job right. In just one film, Daniel Craig has simply become James Bond. It took really no time at all to see his face and think "Bond." That's a testament to just how good he is at the part. He's not given a whole lot to do here, but just the way he carries himself makes you believe he is the suavest secret agent in the world. Indeed, it is Craig that makes pretty much everything in this film work. While the film feels a bit regressive, Craig's performance alone demands me to recommend this film. You get the real feeling that this is a character that is growing and changing on screen, not a rigidly defined guy we've see over and over for 40 plus years. That's a pretty amazing feat.
The rest of the performances are all only ok, with the exception of Judi Dench. She has become such an integral part of this franchise that it's almost impossible to imagine anyone else filling the role of M when she eventually does depart. She is surprisingly given a fair amount of screen time here, and her interaction with Bond is a highlight of the Danial Craig cycle so far. Her relationship with him is at times both antagonistic and motherly, and it works wonderfully. As villain Dominic Greene, Mathieu Amalric is sadly forgettable. I suspect that has more to do with his character's lack of definition than the actor's abilities. He simply feels like an even less formidable enemy for James than Le Chiffre did in the last film. The franchise is clearly setting up a SPECTRE-like evil organization, but is would be nice to get an actual antagonist and not just business men who present no real danger to our hero. Mr. White comes closest, but we simply know too little of him at this point. Much like my feelings on the last film, this film feels like one big setup for the sequel. While that was ok with Casino Royale because it was the beginning of something new, here it just feels like stalling.
Obviously, if you're a fan of 007, you'll see this film regardless of critical opinion. I'm the exact same way. And Quantum of Solace is honestly not a bad film. It has moments of genuine greatness, however few and far between they are. It's just that compared to Casino Royale this is a let down. Compared to the typical Bond picture? This probably holds up a bit better than average. If you like explosions, hot women, suave spies, and a plot you can't quite fully wrap your head around, you'll enjoy this. If you want a bit of that introspective quality that Craig's first outing had, you will be left wanting.
