Great Action Scenes But the Plot?

Rating: 7/10 (11 November 2008)

The world of James Bond has its finger firmly on the pulse of our current political climate. In the 60s, cold war was the overarching theme of the Bond films, while catastrophic threat of a nuclear war painted the Ian Fleming classics of the 70s and 80s.
The 90s Bond flicks gave us subjects as wide and varied as global media tycoons, terrorists, and our favorite secret service agent ditching his code of honor for personal vendetta. In the new film "Quantum of Solace," the topical issue is not as sexy as nuclear warheads. The pedantic subject is, in fact, our environment, but Bond, once again, is out for revenge.
Daniel Craig who received much-deserved accolades for playing Bond in "Casino Royale" is back. The hiring of Craig signified the new direction of the franchise  meaner and grittier. "Quantum of Solace" sticks to the raw, edgy formula of "Casino Royale" but there's one thing missing  a solid plot.
The new film starts just days after "Casino Royale." Bond is still reeling from the death of his beloved Vesper (Eva Green). There's an explosive car chase in the beginning with Mr. White hiding in the trunk of Bond's Aston Martin.
Mr. White, if you remember, is the one responsible for the death of Vesper. This time, he's being interrogated by M (the always vibrant Dame Judi Dench), who must wade through some traitorous M16 agents.
Meanwhile, Bond is on a secret mission that will take him to Austria, Italy, and South America. He's out for revenge that leads M to question -- Can she trust Bond? Trust is the looming theme of the movie. There's a shadowy organization known as Quantum and they're hell-bent on global destruction. At the center is the evil environmentalist, Dominick Green (played by "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly's" Mathieu Amalric), who's conspiring to take control of the world's most precious natural resources.
There's also a new Bond girl in town named Camille (Olga Kurylenko). Like Bond, she is also out for revenge. Her vengeance is aimed toward Bolivian General Medrano (Joaquin Cosio) who put her and her family under villainous torture.
The stage is set and the narrative is moving forward but do you really care? Directed by Marc Forster (the splendid director of "Monster's Ball" and "Finding Neverland"), the action scenes in "Quantum of Solace" overtakes its plot.
I enjoyed the staging of all the action sequences, and I specifically remember two great scenes. One, where a footrace started on rooftops and ended with our hero and the baddie hanging upside down still shooting at each other. The other is an elaborate staging of events inside an opera theater where most of the patrons are Quantum members.
The writing team of "Casino Royale" is back headed by "Crash's" Paul Haggis. The script's pacing is sharp, fast, and frenetic, but if the screen writing team learned one thing from the previous movie, slowing down and letting the narrative breathe will do wonders to the screenplay.
Craig still owns the role of Ian Fleming's secret service agent. His Bond is like a silent killer, murdering his victims with his stoic gaze. Bond's inner suffering is evident with just one, steely look.
The bottom-line? If you're looking for a smart plot, "Quantum of Solace" fails to deliver. But the clever staging of action scenes is worth your price of admission. The production design is also splendid! It hearkens back to the glory days of the classic Bond movies. Back when he was still drinking martini, shaken not stirred. And for that, "Quantum of Solace" gets 3 007 kisses