Daniel Craig’s second outing as 007 is a rollicking action flick, pitting Britain’s establishment agent provocateur against a smarmy industrialist in a tale of geopolitical intrigue and intelligence agencies outwitting each other to try and stay ahead of the curb in an uncertain and dangerous international web of deceit.
Marc Forster, directing his first action blockbuster, brings some emotional nuance to the material after his background in more traditionally melodramatic fare (Monsters Ball, Finding Neverland) and is quite obviously indebted to the Bourne films of Paul Greengrass in his execution of the action sequences, which are in abundance. The editing in particular is kinetic in these scenes, even somewhat experimental. This makes for a Bond film that you have to pay a bit more attention to and the effect is almost challenging, but in a way that perhaps suits an espionage action thriller quite well.
Serving as a direct sequel to Casino Royale (a first for the series), Quantum delivers on non-stop action, while also managing to be quite a different film within the franchise. The villain (Mathieu Amalric in an understated, but venomous performance) is essentially a morally bankrupt businessman, rather than an opposite number or a scheming megalomaniac with designs on world domination. In addition to this, there’s a refreshingly complex partnership between 007 and one of the Bond girls who, along with our hero, is out for revenge. In another first for the franchise, the two don’t sleep together at any point, which is certainly progress (though he does manage to bed a fellow MI-6 agent, so the convention is adhered to at some point).
Though the execution is not as self assured as it’s predecessor, Craig’s sophomore effort is distinctively Bond, but also breaks some new ground and does it well. Quantum of Solace is a satisfying entry in the series and leaves the audience wanting more from the relatively new blonde Bond.
4/5
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