Good, but certainly not great

Rating: 8/10 (11 November 2008)

As the sequel to the critically acclaimed Casino Royale, and with the largest budget of any Bond movie ever, expectations were soaring pretty high for Quantum of Solace, the 22nd film of the Bond franchise. Sadly, the film simply does not live up to the high standards established by its predecessor. That's not to say its a bad film. It's pretty good actually, but still somewhat of a disappointment compared to Casino Royale.
As far as action is concerned, QOS has it all. Chase sequences on land, sea and air; violent physical confrontations, death-defying stunts, intense shoot-outs, death...And yet, in the midst of this vast sieve of intense and furious activity, there is one fundamental element missing...the plot! 007 is on a mission to track down the mysterious organization responsible for Vesper's betrayal and death. Hes struggling not to make his mission personal. But somehow, the premise of the movie is used solely as an excuse to justify one spectacular action scene after the other, with a few words of dialogue stringing them together. Bond travels from Italy to Haiti, Austria, Bolivia and Russia leaving a trail of bodies in his wake, while we know nothing of the villains plans or the Bond girl for much of the first half of the film. The villain Dominic Greene does come across as the devil incarnate hidden amidst a smooth exterior, but we hardly see him indulging in anything remotely villainous for most of the film. Apart from his extensive contacts in the Bolivian police force and the CIA, he seems pretty vulnerable and poses no real threat to Bond. Bond instead spends much of the film evading the police, the CIA and MI6 itself as a rogue agent, with Greene and his organization(about which we barely know anything new)remaining relatively unknown factors.
However, the lack of a plot is redeemed somewhat by the excellent performance of Daniel Craig as James Bond. Having redefined the character for a new era in Casino Royale, Craig continues with his darker interpretation of the character, even though, at times during this movie, Bond comes across more as a hit-man for MI6 rather than a spy, although one cannot entirely fault Craig for this. Craig plays the character with a hitherto unseen intensity, especially in a confrontation at the end of the movie. His Bond can be the suave and sophisticated secret agent when he wants to, but its only an act...inside hes a cold-blooded killer who happens to be bound by duty and by principles. Bond comes across as a defender of faith and a destroyer of evil even in the darkest and most corrupt of times. Judi Dench supplements Craig's performance in her role as MI6 chief M, who is still doubtful as to whether she can trust 007 and his unconventional methods with this mission. M is around in this film a lot more than any of the Bond girls or the villain, shes almost as constant a presence as Bond himself. Bond and M's relationship, which is both professional and even personal to an extent continues to develop in this film. Then we have Jeffrey Wright playing CIA Agent Felix Leiter, who comes across as a man who shares Bond's views but lacks the necessary will and zest for action to do something about them, instead preferring to place his trust in Bond. Olga Kurlenko plays Camille, the feisty Bond girl on a mission of vengeance much like Bond's himself, who becomes Bond's ally rather than love interest. And Mathieu Almaric's portrayal of Greene I have already mentioned.
Ultimately, Quantum of Solace may not match up to such Bond greats as Casino Royale, From Russia with Love and Thunderball, but it is in no way a failure of the likes of Moonraker and A View to a Kill. If you simply look at it solely as an action film, you would appreciate it a lot more than if you try to compare it to the more plot driven Bond films.