Craig, Daniel Craig...Licensed to thrill...

Rating: 7/10 (5 July 2009)

In the beginning there is trouble...there's always trouble. Moments into a Bond adventure, we buckle up for a wild ride. When the opening sequences are clever, well planned and preposterous enough, the following ninety minutes usually follows suit.
The plot in a Bond film is nothing more than filler. To elaborate on which ruse is used to set 007 loose is pointless. There has been one thing missing from recent Bond outings though. Namely his nemesis' super powered bodyguard. Gone are the 'Odd Job' and 'Jaws' type henchmen that he had to overcome before saving the earth, and the heaven's above. What we have been seeing in the past two Bond offerings is a healthy dose of 'Parkour' instead.
This is the French acrobatic art of running, leaping, jumping and landing like a cat on any structure available. Parkour is natural propulsion and making use of anything in one's field of vision to keep moving. In Quantum of Solace, Bond puts it to good use. It makes for exciting maneuvers as the action goes up, down and all around. I find its inclusion to be a great boost to natural stunts and leaving CGI where it belongs, in the background and at a minimum.
Audiences are smart enough to know when effects are in play. We have been through the initial 'all green screen' productions and the hyperbole accompanying them. FX have their place, but make it count for something if it has to be used. Blockbusters in the latter half of the last century, namely 'Earthquake', 'Towering Inferno', and 'The Poseidon Adventure' led to the 'Die Hard' franchise. Then the resurgence of comic book characters as MatinÃ©e Idols. Bond is not a comic book figure.
Daniel Craig has done a fine job in creating his own version of Bond. He does so while maintaining all the right moves. His is the study of a man with a heavy past, present and by the end of the film, future. He shows just enough emotion, letting his subtle nuances light the character. Craig gives us a more human, a more believable Bond.
Playboy flare is unnecessary for this Bond. He has a natural charisma that doesn't require the facial gestures and randiness of his predecessors. The audience does not have to be hit over the head with Bond's allure. We get it. His romance is simply a compliment to the six vodka source of energy. Bond is mission focused. Sleep must wait. This is the foundation of the way the man does business.
'M' has a beefier role this time out. Dame Judith Dench is spot on. You get the sense that all Bond really needs is his trusty sidekick and vice-versa. 'M' does all this and more for Bond. Ms. Dench speaks volumes with a glance and this film is so much the better with her in it. With much respect to Mr. Craig, she is also the finest actor in the film. I am sure he would agree.
'Quantum of Solace' is a fine companion to 'Casino Royal'. Not the best Bond film, but an interesting study of the character we always want to know just a little better. And in that sense, we have been rewarded through Craig's performance. And we shall continue to seek out this Bond... James Bond.