Good screenplay, atrociously filmed

Rating: 8/10 (12 November 2008)

Were it not for the admittedly awful cinematography and horrible editing, I think this would be unanimously considered one of the best Bond films ever made. Darker and probably the grittiest Bond ever, yet it also has a sense of humour (Elvis' black neck brace always amuses me, as does Bond's line "I can't find the ... stationary. Would you come help me look for it?" as an excuse to get Agent Fields into the bedroom/ shower area)
Screenplay also has great depth to the characters, as Bond and Mathis appear to genuinely become friends, after amusingly resolving the enmity between then by the end of the previous film, which only makes Mathis' death in Bond's arms all the more sad and tragic "We forgive each other", but is Mathis asking Bond, or telling him? Bond then appears to heartlessly steal the money from Mathis' wallet and leave him in a dumpster- to conceal Mathis' death, and make it look like a robbery .
There also appears to be more of a bond (pardon the pun) between Bond and Camille, who is strong, and a fighter, not just along for the ride, like some previous Bond Girls.
Great action sequences in the film: the opening car chase/ shootout, boat chases, the climactic explosions, but sadly, they seem to have been filmed by cameramen in the middle of an Epileptic seizure. I also like that immediately following the boat chase, the sound slowly becomes muted, near silence, giving the audience a chance to breathe after the chase. Similarly, and another favourite moment of mine, after Bond has "interrupted" Quantum's meeting during the opera, when he and Greene stare each other down in silence, the expression on Greene's face is marvelous. Is he terrified of this unknown discovering his activities, or is he enraged, wishing to violently kill this unknown man as quickly as possible? Bond's own expression spoke volumes without saying a word as well: "I'm closing in you, and I know that you know I'm closing in on you, and I'm not going to stop", while Bond exchanges gunfire with Greene's men, in complete silence, with the opera slowly brought up into the mix, again gives the audience a chance to breathe.
Also unique is that Bond let's the villain, Greene, go free at the end- granted, Bond leaves him 100 miles into the desert, with no food or water (which is what Greene was after) and knowing Quantum would hunt Greene down, even in the middle of the desert, and kill him, as they would now regard Greene as a security risk.
The final scene, with Bond, calmly yet intensely confronting Vesper's ex-lover and his new girl/assignment, completely blowing his cover, fully exposing his lies, in a loose adaptation of Fleming's short story 007 In New York, gave the film a good, cyclical ending, feeling like this Casino Royale/ Quantum of Solace screenstory had come full circle. Bond's final words to M., followed by walking away, leaving Vesper's necklace in the snow, had a wonderful Hitchcock feel to it.