Quantum of Solace

Solid Super HUGE

With all the hype being touted over James Bond’s roguish, vindictive attitude in Quantum of Solace, I’m sure all 007 fans will remember that this is not his only vendetta of vengeance. A certain Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) sort of heated Bond’s furnace when he killed Della, the wife of his best friend Felix Leiter in 1989’s License to Kill. It’s one of my favorites and, in my opinion one of the best in the franchise. And since the franchise has been rebooted, Quantum could technically, be the “first” time Bond has made a mission personal.

Bond’s 22nd spy thriller, the first ever sequel in the series, instantly kicks into high gear a mere 20 minutes or so after Casino
Royale. Bond has just captured the elusive Mr. White at his north Italian villa and is frantically trying to stay ahead of his trigger happy henchmen, racing through the mountains with guns blazing. Their Alfa Romeo seems quite a match for 007’s Aston Martin. Despite a few heart stopping mishaps on the way, Bond manages to escape his pursuers and takes White to a safe house in Siena where he’s interrogated about the organization he works for- and the death of Bond’s precious love, Vesper Lynd (Eva Greene).

You can’t help but to feel a slight twinge of anxiety when White boasts “We have people everywhere.” Even when Bond’s arch nemesis Blofeld threatened the world with nuclear blackmail, laser satellites and world war 3, he didn’t seem that menacing. Nonetheless, Bond and M, played again with elegant finesse by Dame Judi Dench, find out the hard way that their
prisoner is absolutely right. Upon tracking down a few leads, Bond discovers the mastermind behind it all; a Mr. Dominic Greene (Mathieu Almaric) who, according to MI-6’s high tech visual computer system, is a man of extreme interests.

Romans 12:19 says “Vengeance is mine: I will repay,” saith the Lord. Religious people, Christians, non-Christians et al know this familiar verse, blatantly disregarding it because of our dark side. Bond is no different. He tells M that he’s motivated by his duty by taking Greene into custody and wiping out this new shadow society. Yet the hardness of his face and his cold blue eyes indicate otherwise. He wastes no time getting on with it. Not even taking a moment to utter that famous line “Bond, James Bond” anywhere throughout the movie.

Along this path of retribution, he meets the sultry, spirited Camille (bit of a relief from the usual Bond girl names like Pussy, Tiffany or Christmas Jones) rendered by equally sultry Eurasian actress Olga Kurylenko. She has her own agenda for getting next to Greene. Of course it’s remarkably similar to Bond’s, so naturally they already have something in common.

Nonetheless, the writers could not resist teasing die-hard bond fans by including at least one atypical woman’s name. Twenty-two year old Gemma Atherton (Rock N’ Rolla) encases agent Fields, first name Strawberry. How appropriate is that eh? And I would say that she is probably one of 007’s easier conquests. Problem is, you never hear her actually say the first name, just the last. Plus, she really doesn’t seem to have that much of a major role. She’s more of an afterthought that’s thrown in as a brief thrill for Bond.

Director Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, The Kite Runner) initially turned down the offer to helm this latest installment of the nearly 50 year old Bond phenomenon. Meeting Daniel Craig finally changed his mind. Any Bond movie director must be good at steering action sequences. And, although the rapid fire cuts and edits may make some woozy, Forster faithfully maintains and enhances the legacy of exploits that have made Bond the longest lasting big screen spy in the world.

Quantum is the shortest running of the series, clocking in at 106 minutes. Odd of course since the average time from Dr. No to Casino Royale is at least two hours. When I watched it, it felt like two hours regardless of the average and will serve as an excellent addition to a franchise that is swiftly reaching half-a-century.