"Solace" steers Bond down a dark, but not necessarily better path

Rating: 6/10 (14 November 2008)

Being film's most iconic character of all time, James Bond is held to a higher standard than any other movie franchise's centerpiece. He got there by winning over all audiences by being a perfect cocktail of immaculate action hero and charming playboy, setting standards for gadgetry, cars, action sequences, filming locales, memorable villains, stunning women and more. It's an untouchable formula and yet "Quantum of Solace" distinctly chooses to mess with it, acting as a sequel and therefore having to tell a tale of mistrust and revenge. Whether it works is a matter of how much you cling to your daddy's James Bond and how willing you are to let him grow into a more modern, complicated character.
"Solace" picks up immediately after "Casino Royale," the franchise's reboot film that welcomed in Daniel Craig as the sixth 007. That makes it the first Bond sequel ever. Never has watching Bond necessitated the knowledge of a previous film, which is already an adjustment in itself. Since "Royale" gave us a fresh spin on Bond--him actually falling in love and having her taken from him--the follow up clearly had to introduce themes of revenge and as a result, the James we all know and love had to have a more complex psyche, or one at all some would argue.
With drama being more central to the plot, enter Paul Haggis, award-winning screenwriter for "Crash." to the team of Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who made "Royale" refreshing and yet essential Bond, with great dialog and innovative action sequences. "Solace" suddenly takes a darker tone. Themes (that's right, people, Bond with themes!) like trust and revenge come into play, techniques like symbolism. Suddenly Bond isn't the same even though 21 other films are telling us otherwise.
Most noticeable of all is there's a distinct drop off in the clever dialog, in fact I don't think Bond ever smiles. Part of what made Craig an instant hit was his ability to so easily combine Bond's mix of business and pleasure, his toughness and his charm. "Solace" strips him of using those talents and that's unfortunate. Instead we get a very complex, reflective Bond, and while Craig does that well, it's not as likable as a character trait.
The plot is confusing and ultimately unimportant. Knowing Bond is out for revenge is enough to keep the film believable. Basically, "Solace" takes us all over the world so that Bond can beat people up or kill them in various climates. The film's action sequences are cool enough, though director Marc Forster's turn at action is a bit tough to watch. The sequences have so many cuts that happen so quickly that some of the scenes are an unintelligible blur. Occasionally there are some knockout shots that really rock, but it's mostly about the location shooting in terms of the film's visual statement.
Seeing Bond assume greater depth as a character certainly has its merits, but to sacrifice some of the best aspects of the franchise like the humor and playfulness might not really be worth it. The writers and producers, however, decided not to back down from the fact that they chose to send Bond in this direction and that's commendable. They made a committed choice to show us Bond's dark side and from that perspective it's a good film. Hopefully Bond's just had his one night stand with revenge and can be back to familiar territory when he takes the screen for the 23rd time.