A very poor Bond film

Rating: 4/10 (5 June 2012)

I love the James Bond films. And I like Daniel Craig as Bond. But "Quantum of Solace", Craig's second appearance as the British Secret Service agent, is surely one of the worst films in the Bond canon. It is an extremely dull film that contains little of the trademark fun, wit and panache that are present in most of the rest of the series.
One does not expect plausibility or realism in a Bond film. But is it too much to hope for a coherent and lucidly portrayed plot (however unrealistic it may be)? You certainly do not get such qualities in Quantum of Solace, the plot of which is difficult to follow. It contains so many seemingly unexplained strands and incidents that I gave up trying to understand what was happening. Even rewinding the DVD to check particular incidents does not help. The basis of the story is a dastardly scheme hatched by international environmental entrepreneur and activist, Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), who runs a company known as Greene Planet. He appears to be intent on exploiting the natural resources in Bolivia and other South American countries for financial gain. He also appears to be a member of a secret organisation that was responsible for killing Vesper, the love of Bond's life, at the end of Craig's first outing as Bond, in Casino Royale. These two plot strands coalesce in this film. But they do not do so in a comprehensible way.
Quantum of Solace is poorly written and badly directed. Its pacing is all wrong. The film seems to consist of one spectacular stunt after another, particularly during the opening hour. The viewer is treated to a car chase along a dangerous winding road, a punch-up in a hotel bedroom in Haiti and a spectacular boat chase all within the first 20 minutes or so. Those incidents signpost events in the rest of the film, which is tired and empty. The acting from Craig and from Judi Dench (as M) is fine. But the principal villain (Amalric) cannot hold a candle to some of the previous Bond baddies. He is dull and uninteresting, as is the film. The best thing about Quantum of Solace is the ending - both because it is a bit different from that in most Bond films and because, well, it is the ending (which cannot come a moment too soon)! One for Bond loyalists only, I fear. 4/10.