Fast and furious... Bond is Back

Rating: 8/10 (31 October 2008)

Be warned, this review of Quantum of Solace does contain one or two spoilers.
Quantum of Solace is a definitely a film with flaws, but despite that it is a worthy addition to the weighty James Bond collection.
The first problem arrives before the titles with the viewer thrown head-first into an action-packed car chase along the west shore of Lake Garda. We know not who is chasing Bond or why, and once Bond eventually pulls over, he opens the boot of his car and asks someone to get out. A voice behind me asked quizzically: "Who's that?" The casual viewer will not remember the end of Casino Royale, what dapper suit Bond was wearing, who Mr White is and why he might be in Bond's car.
The lack of exposition is a theme throughout the film - it moves at a breakneck speed without giving the audience a chance to catch up and put the various pieces into place. At one stage I made the mistake of dwelling on a previous scene and then missed the transition to another country (the name of which flashed up as I tuned out). I'm still not sure where Bond went to.
The locations are stunning. The film looks fantastic - when the camera is still enough to allow you to see it. The first 15 minutes I really struggled to focus on the screen as cars spun, punches were thrown, scaffolding collapsed and people fell. This style of action continues throughout.
Thematically, the film builds on Casino Royale's motif of "who can you trust?" Vesper and Mathis were offered as potential double agents in that film, and further betrayals are the order of the day in QOS.
Quantum of Solace - a Fleming title, the Quantum bit now coming to mean the sinister organisation that will hang like a spectre over the franchise from now on. We get an insight into who exactly is involved with Quantum in one of the best scenes in the film, which for that reason I'll go no further with discussing. But again, Quantum was almost brushed under the carpet at that point, the name being spoken briefly enough that I'm sure a lot of people did not pick up on it.
Other reviews have been critical of the Dominic Greene character but I don't see him as a problem at all. He's an extortionist, classic Bond villain material. He's ruthless and will kill when he needs to, yet is also a coward as many other Bond villains have been. Much like the SPECTRE villains of the past, you never have to consider him to be at the top of the tree so to speak, something that gives his role added back-up in the face of criticism. He is not a lone megalomaniac on a mission to rule the world. The organisation behind him is his strength.
I have seen two other things criticised by other reviewers. Firstly the theme song. For me, it works in context well enough, though I did not like it in the isolation of the radio or You Tube. Secondly, the ending. Apparently the ending was changed. If it was, I'm glad as the ending we have been given ties up all the loose ends from Casino Royale and means Craig's 3rd outing can be a self-contained story.
I cannot believe it has taken me so long to mention Daniel Craig. For the record, I felt his performance was excellent. The Bond character, to use a well-worn cliché, goes on a journey over the course of the two films and at the beginning of QOS is definitely veering off-course. By the film's conclusion the poor judgement calls that seem to mar the first 4 hours of this two-part story seem to have passed through his system, and I feel we'll see a very different James Bond in film 23.
See you in two years time! Score: 7.5 / 10