Bond is Bourne again…
Director: Marc Forster
Notable Cast: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathiew Amalric, Jeffrey Wright
Apparently James Bond didn’t learn his lesson after the events of Casino Royale. Two years after being rebooted, he’s back again in what can be best described as the coldest and vengeful entry into the Bond franchise. Quantum of Solace brings with it an air of mystery and heightened expectations. As a direct sequel to the highest grossing Bond adventure of all time, the filmmakers wanted to make it bigger. In doing so, they bolster the picture with more action and streamline the plot, which in and of itself adds to Bond’s “blunt instrument” stature as an agent who knows that killing is part of his profession.
Things we know going in. One, Daniel Craig has proven himself an actor worthy of playing the iconic character. No problems there. Two, gadgets, which were once expected, are not a necessity nor are they necessary. Three, an Aston Martin must make an appearance at some point in the movie. Four, if Bond did everything perfectly the first time, then there would be no point to reboot the franchise.
The last point is something that is certain to be overlooked when people start to judge Quantum of Solace against previous installments. Older fans of James Bond love him as the humorous, while sophisticated, British agent, not this unrefined incarnation that we have today. Yet nostalgia can cloud minds: Casino Royale was intended to give us a Bond that Fleming had envisioned – a Bond who has yet to learn that shear force isn’t always the answer. To compare, when Sean Connery took on the role of Bond in Dr. No, it was as someone who had already perfected the technique of being a secret agent. Daniel Craig is still suffering from growing pains with his new 007 status.
Since Quantum is an extension to a story that began two years ago, Bond hasn’t truly grown as a character; he keeps to his ways of being the bull in the China shop. He disobeys orders and is a security risk, and is still singed from the death of Vesper Lynd, the one (and only) Bond babe that he truly loved. Even his mother hen of a boss, M (Judi Dench), can’t keep a leash on him. Now he is focused on uncovering the truth about QUANTUM, the hush-hush organization that blackmailed Vesper. His only lead is Mr. White (Jesper Christensen), who he apprehended at the end of Royale. An interrogation seems like the next logical step, but a mole in MI6 sidetracks Bond. So begins a foot chase that’s eerily similar to something out of The Bourne (insert any title here).
With each new actor that assumes the mantle of Bond, the character changes. From the Cold War to the present, each installment is a sign of the times. Today’s audience wants a Bond that is more of an action hero than a spy. So the filmmakers deliver an adventure that plays to the action and little else.
I’m still wrapping my head around the hiring decision of Marc Forster as director. The man has made quality films but nothing as big as this. So entrusting a 100-million budget to someone who has never directed an action-oriented movie before is a big risk on the part of producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Simon. Forster’s safety net is Dan Bradley, the second-unit director for both The Bourne Supremacy and Ultimatum. As the second-unit director and stunt coordinator for Quantum he brings gritty realism to the action scenes. This can be unnerving to those still reeling from the epileptic seizures suffered from Paul Greengrass’s Bourne flicks, with quick-cut edits that give viewers nary a time to focus their eyes. The opening sequence alone is enough for you to take some Dramamine to calm your nerves.
A half-dozen action sequences, involving cars, boats, and planes fill the short running time – 106 minutes (including end credits). They do little to serve the plot, but instead move Bond closer to the instigators of his emotional suffering.
While the narrative does lack focus, I suspect that this adventure will lead to a definitive conclusion somewhere down the line. James Bond racks up the frequent-flyer miles – and body count – while visiting such exotic locales as Austria, South America, Italy, Haiti, where he crossing paths with the mysterious Camille (Hitman‘s Olga Kurylenko) and Dominic Greene (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly‘s Mathiew Amalric), who we are to led to believe is in cahoots with QUANTUM.
No wonder Bond’s pissed: too much jet lag. Even so, the man is hell-bent on seeing this thing through to the end, as am I. For now, take solace in the fact that Bond is working out some anger issues so that he can move on to his next assignment.
