Bond.... unbonded

Rating: 7/10 (19 November 2008)

He does not introduce himself as "Bond. James Bond." He does not have gadgets because 'Q' does not even exist. 'M' does not say "grow up 007" because he does not even flirt with Moneypenny with his charming mannerisms and he does not go to bed with the first woman he meets at an event. Instead, he slams the side of an Aston Martin against the tunnel wall right at the start of the chase sequence, beats the living daylights out of the spy who infiltrates his hotel room merely with physical combat that involved his fist, some broken glass and a knife, runs over Siena's rooftops, rides a wooden boat with such aggression that he doesn't need ammunition. he just slams the boat through whatever comes in his way, pilots a Dakota plane over a desert in a thrilling dog-fight sequence, only to escape without a parachute after the plane loses an engine, then blows up a hydrogen fuel cell tank to escape from an conflagrated room and finally, he lets the villain run lose in the desert to have him experience his end rather than inflicting it upon him. Bond dirties his hands a lot, bruises himself, kills people whom 'M' wants alive, loses his sleep over the death of his love Vesper and relentlessly pursues his vendetta. Bond is an animal out of control as he unleashes his unstoppable fury that is led by an inconsolable rage. He is hurt and therefore, he is mean. So long to the suaveness, charm, wit and tackiness of Moore, Connery and Brosnan. Daniel Craig's Bond disappoints you if you expect him to be the secret agent 007 that you have been used to seeing in 20 films of the franchise. Quantum of Solace will disappoint you if you expect Bond to be the charismatic hero. Evolution, as they say, is inevitable in changing times.
Director Mark Forster (Kite Runner) carries out one aspect of James Bond that begun with Martin Campbell's revival of the series in Casino Royale. Bond is still raw. He is still learning. 'M' is still annoyed by his impulsive actions and doubts her judgement of his character. That, mind you, does not alter the fact that Daniel Craig befits the new Bond to perfection. Although, the action provides for a more realistic and slick depiction, it loses out on the charm of Bond's beautiful indulgences that include the desirable Aston Martin DBS. In a bid to trace the link between Le Chiffre and his personal agenda of seeking those responsible for Vesper's death, Bond encounters Camille (Olga Kurylenko), a stunning beauty who is rough as a horse trainer but drives the smallest of cars around and whose personal agenda introduces Bond to the Kingpin of the nexus, Dominic Green (Mathieu Amalric). He is the sly villain who plays a game of deceit and intellect behind the backs of governments and agencies. Bond uncovers Green's plans of resource exploitation in Bolivia but in the process, gets rid of vital leads that only infuriate 'M' and the American agencies. But through his determined effort and unyielding quest to seek those responsible, Bond regains M's trust and through a series of blasts in a fuel cell powered hotel in the desert, achieves his end.
The primary action sequences center around the four elements of Earth (car chase), Water (boat chase), Air (Dakota dog-fight) and Fire (climax) and provide definitive moments of sophistication and nuance that one would expect from an action film with a guy named James Bond in it. Even though, Forster chooses to kill the Bond that we know and send the new one in his quest to seek solace in the Bolivian desert, he retains some old characteristics to embody them into the new 007. These include Bond's cold reaction to M's derision, his wit in play with women such as Camille and Ms. Fields, his instinctive reactions when he suspects that someone is in his hotel room, the teasing manner in which he checks in with Ms. Fields into a luxury hotel claiming that they were teachers on a sabbatical who have won a lottery, his sarcasm with Camille and his surprisingly humorous intervention when masterminds discuss their plan for Bolivia while attending an Opera (which is a remarkably intelligent sequence). But he has lost his sleep, he talks deeply about revenge, he enters the scene with sudden, smashing form as he jumps on the hood of the SUV (climax) or jumps his motorbike over boats, being reckless and calculative at the same time, forceful and almost like a piece of rock that you would fling over the surface of the lake.
The exotic and rough looking Olga Kurylenko is a stunner and for a change, she does not bed with Bond as the typical Bond-girl would but maintains a distance through the end of the film. Judi Dench has aged but has more to do in this film than simply watch a screen to monitor Bond's movements. Mathieu Amalric plays the villain very well. He doesn't need a bloody eye to portray malice but his plot plays for villainy in the film.
Despite its flaws of over-edited sequences, lack of 'Bondism' and the intro credits with 'another way to die' playing in the background that makes for the dullest Bond opening of all time, Quantum Of Solace moves James Bond to another level that we are not totally familiar with and that perhaps is the film's downfall in the 'critical' domain but it promises the entry of 'Q', the secret agent's finesse, womanizing, martinis shaken not stirred and a whole lot of wit and humour. Bond has moved on from a vengeance seeking storm to a mature secret agent who has won the trust of the MI6 and we should eagerly await the next installment with all the fireworks that we have been deprived of while he found Solace.

7.446 on a scale of 1-10.