Good...but not very Bond

Rating: 7/10 (2 November 2008)

If Casino Royale was a series reboot, than Quantum of Solace has completed the 180 degree turn from Brosman-era Bond. It is all shaky-cams, brutal beatings and a prevailing atmosphere of darkness. Craig's Bond is out for revenge.
As an action movie, the film is very impressive - with at least twice as many action set-pieces as its predecessor. The scene at the opera is wonderful - Forster artfully cutting between the events of the play and the actions of Bond. The clash between Bond and Greene (a sneering, wild-eyed Mathieu Almalric) is also a highlight. Indeed, the only let-down on the action front is the pre-credits sequence - traditionally the stunt men's moment in the sun. The car chase seems flat and a little pointless - just an excuse to show off Bond's latest Aston Martin.
Craig is once again excellent in the lead role - its been said many times before, but his vision of Bond is physically imposing, brutally unsentimental and a close representation of Fleming's original character. He teams up with Olga Kurylenko's Camille, as she too hunts for revenge. Although it is difficult to become fully emotionally invested in her quest, the pair's relationship has a very different dynamic to that of the normal Bond/Bond Girl coupling, and Kurylenko is a presence. However, Gemma Arteton briefly threatens to steal her thunder as Strawberry Fields (second only to Pussy Galore as the best Bond girl name ever).
So the action's great. The acting is spot-on. Why dosn't it feel quite right?? The biggest problem is the story - it's confusing (practically incomprehensible if you haven't watched Casino Royale) and although there is a sense that greater forces are at work, Greene's villainous plot just seems a bit tame when compared to enemies of old. It's also very dark, and the crucial ingredient of humour is lacking for much of the film. Yes, Bond (quite rightly) has matured, become more complex and interesting than the vaguely one-dimensional character of old. But Bond could always be relied upon to provide guns, girls and a few laughs - in re-inventing the series, the producers are in danger of forgetting the original basic Bond formula. This latest offering owes a lot to the Bourne films, and like that trilogy, it is thrilling, full of suspense, well made, but not always everyone's idea of fun.
It's a very different beast to the usual Bond films, and will sit uneasily in its canon - it is, however, a superior thriller and a very good film.