Perhaps the Most Stylistically Unique of the Bonds Pictures

Rating: 8/10 (25 November 2008)

One criticism I've heard from critics regards the opening car chase, with Bond under constant machinegun fire, that it's so hurriedly cut and accused of obvious but perplexing CGI, that for the most part we're looking at blurred images leaping off each other, intercut with Bond at the wheel and POV shots of approaching monster trucks. I was surprised to find I did not agree with this common critique. My only problem was that hundreds of rounds of machine gun spatter as close as they are to Bond's very back windshield seem to just disappear into thin air, but of course Bond fires a single final shot that not only successfully wounds one of his dispatchers but sends the pursuing car over the cliff to crash and burn. But hey, when has an action hero ever been killed by machine gun fire, regardless of the seemingly endless ammunition hailed upon him?
One of the more annoyingly titled Bond efforts, the movie's titular Quantum organization's objectives and values are entirely unknown, but they favor the shadows. All they seem to do is hire mercenaries to fulfill hits to control being implicated in them, and the lead villain here schemes for his branch-off company to manipulate Bolivia's water supply, which I assume is part of a larger plot to be revealed in the 23rd film.
This direct sequel to Casino Royale is directed by perhaps the most stylistically unique filmmaker to be at the helm of the uber-commercial 007 franchise, Marc Forster. There is actually a bit of the director reflected in the finished product this time. As, Amalric wanted to wear make-up for his role as the ruthless lead villain, but Forster made clear that he wanted Greene not to look bizarre, but to appear as the charming and attractive young actor always does to symbolize the veiled evils of society. To the die hard Bond fan, this could go two ways: A plus or a serious minus. The reason the first 21 Bond films were far removed from personal artistic control was because there are olden customs indoctrinated into the cinematic Bond tradition which must not be compromised. Quantum of Solace compromises them for the first time since Dr. No. Bond does not sleep with Bond girl Olga Kurylenko. This I admire. She is not a bimbo but a strong female character on her own vendetta. Maybe the pattern of chauvinism in these movies is finally tapering off with Craig's arrival.
Daniel Craig is a strong actor, especially in testosterone-leaning movies. So, he continues to be a good Bond, but this second outing for him marks him as the least conversational Bond in almost 50 years. M has more dialogue than 007, who has become a normal schmuck who asks for normal drinks. Greene is not a cartoon villain in the least, in fact quite a topical one. Also no Moneypenny.
I understand the purists, because the recent series reboot is growing further removed from the spirit we've been used to, one which has not so much been lost but has been built upon since 1962. It feels like Brosnan's been gone a lot longer than he has. But here's the thing: That's OK. Brosnan was the closest we got to Sean Connery since Sean Connery, and it was a great seven years. But since when does the strict maintenance of all the proper traditional elements serve the purpose of creativity? Perhaps the 23rd and 24th Bonds will continue in an even fresher direction.
However, I did have a problem with the movie's disregard for tradition. We're beginning to lose the dry humor and snooty British suavity. Those two things are vitally important to the James Bond movie. Bond is becoming Bourne, which is to say he's becoming more and more American all the time. Our franchises must not absorb the cultural diversity and personality in its universal trends, which in this case is the robotic muscleman on a vendetta. I'll tell you who I liked better than Bond: CIA go-between Felix Leiter, played by the wonderful Jeffrey Wright, whose rise to stardom seems to be going slowly but it's definitely a sure thing. He gives Felix, who for years has been a stick figure, an individualism hiding under his stoic shell which eavesdrops in scenes of CIA plotting, rather than merely listening.
I am also a fan of the, so far, underrated opening title sequence, in which brilliant songwriter-bandleader Jack White and the quite talented Alicia Keys perform the oft- disparaged theme song which, with its clear focus on recording studio production, mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation, vocal-centric aesthetic and signature White Stripes rhythmic feel, does not stray far from good spy film music in the least, as has been said by many critics.
My verdict is that Bond 22 is not one of the lesser Bond pictures, yet the series has a long way to go before the filmmakers will feel comfortable enough to truly take a unique stylistic turn, for here, we just have another unforgettable but visually juicy action entertainment.