Good Bond film. Poor screenplay.

Rating: 7/10 (1 November 2008)

Daniel Craig once again shows why he was the perfect choice for taking Bond to the next generation and level. It's easy to forget what a good actor he is when watching Bond as lets face it Bond films have never been known for their high quality of acting.
Craig makes the role look effortless and takes on the mantle of ruthless killer with extreme ease. His exchanges with Judi Dench in QoS are some of the best pieces of the film and I feel these two really need to be given more dialogue with each other in future films.
From the opening scene you get that thrill of excitement that Bond films should bring. From the seamless sweeping landscape to the intense detail of the first action sequence you get the feeling this could be every bit as good as Casino Royale.
Unfortunately as the opening title sequence played I got the feeling I was going to be disappointed. Both the track and graphics are poor, scrappy and for me in no way connect with the film.
The acting in QoS is, in general, of a high standard apart from Mathieu Amalric who turns in an exceptionally bland performance, how much of this is down to his skills as an actor or how much is down to the script and screenplay in general is difficult to tell. The part of Dominic Greene is incredibly one dimensional and in truth is not needed in the film. Olga Kurylenko is OK in her role as Camille but again I felt that her relationship with Greene and ultimately her own storyline was unnecessary.
After reading pre screening reports that QoS picks up were Casino Royale ended I had hoped that more attention and time would have been given to the hunt for the people behind Vesper's betrayal and ultimately Bonds need for revenge. The "plot" which Greene and Camille are involved in detracts from this mission of revenge and takes an unnecessary shift away from unveiling what the "organization" is exactly and who is behind it. This I feel should have been given more attention in the screenplay.
Which leads me to Neil Purvis' and Robert Wade's screenplay. (I have purposely left out Paul Haggis' name from this as I feel that the best scripted scenes in QoS are probably down to him, but hey I could be wrong). The underlying theme of the screenplay is actually one of intrigue however the writers chose to gloss over it with several unneeded subplots and action scenes.
I feel the screenplay is too fragmented and too many random scenes have been harshly edited together rather than allowing for smooth flow and continuity.
The action sequences are excellently shot and played out and you really do get the feel that Daniel Craig is playing it for real.
There are some beautifully shot scenes with the Tosca sequence not only being the highlight of direction but also a brave and welcome move for a Bond film.
Unlike some I do not feel that direction was an issue and I think that Marc Foster has done a good job in terms of how the film looks.
The locations are excellent and beautifully captured but the score felt tired and dated.
As a Bond film this is a very welcome addition to the collection, as an action film the standard is incredibly high but as piece of writing it leaves a lot to be desired.
One saving point of the storyline however is that, in general, you get the feeling that QoS is setting the scene for what is to come from the next two films.
Barbara Broccoli made a brave but inspired decision when hiring Daniel Craig as James Bond. She now needs to take the decision to relive Purvis and Wade their duties as writers and commission someone who can compliment Haggis's generally decent dialogue and plot writing skills.