Quantum Of Solace (2008)

Or, I am sick to death of movies appropriating Bourne-style action sequences.  Or, I liked Quantum Of Solace but it ain’t perfect.

This Bond sequel was always going to have it tough, there’s no two ways about it.  Casino Royale was an enormous success, resoundingly greeted as a rejuvenation of the Bond franchise.  Daniel Craig brought physical and psychological realism to the character, and stripped away the cheekiness of Pierce Brosnan while keeping a bit of the charm.  And while CR’s finale ran a bit long, it provided a delicious final moment that demanded a follow-up.

I think that last part is critical because it basically locked the course of the next installment.  There would be no chance for a brand new villain, no opportunity to switch courses and focus on a contented or more experienced Bond.  I’m not suggesting that this is bad- personally, I really like the idea of a bigger story with true character development- but that it necessarily limits options for the writers and new director, Marc Forster.

And so Quantum Of Solace begins, literally moments after Bond’s capture of the mysterious Mr. White that concluded CR.  A breathless car chase ensues, followed by a brief interrogation with a predictable ending and then a pursuit on foot and a fight.  Followed immediately by more hand to hand combat, then another chase, and finally a moment to catch our breath.

I have to say that, thinking about it now, this seems like an appropriate start to the film.  Viewers familiar with the preceding events don’t need to be led into the whys and such, and new eyes might be dazzled by all the activity.  Plus, fundamentally, there’s this: Bond is pissed as hell and is looking to punish anyone who might be connected to his pain.  He isn’t concerned with thinking about what he’s doing or letting his wounds heal; his response is to march on as fiercely as possible and annihilate anything in front of him.  Sounds like an exhilarating beginning.

And yet it’s not.  The first third or so of the film is tiring to the eye and the mind.  The visual style of the numerous conflicts is constructed with Bourne-like handheld camerawork and blitzkrieg editing.  While it works for moments, this often-aped approach has become cliche and bothersome.  And watching such sequences four times in the first half hour or so of the film is downright overwhelming.

Quantum Of Solace finds its footing once it settles in to the actual story.  Bond meets a mysterious woman named Camille who leads him closer to the group he’s chasing; his pursuit, from this point on, is more about connecting the dots than punching and shooting them.  Now we get to see some glimpses of who Bond is, as well as learn more about this newest Bond girl and Bond’s nemesis.  This is pretty good in the case of Olga Kurylenko’s Camille, but not so hot with Mathieu Amalric’s villainous Dominic Greene.  Amalric does what he can, but Greene is one of the weaker written foils in the Bond series.

Characterization is the overarching weak link in Quantum Of Solace.  Craig is certainly very game in his portrayal of Bond, but the role feels weakly developed considering the drama carried over from Casino Royale.  We hear M talk about what’s eating at Bond, and even he discusses it a bit, but there’s little in the action that says anything about what Bond is going through or how he’s changing.  In fact, that begs the question- has Bond changed or developed through the course of these two films?  Has love, betrayal, and death had any affect on him?  I think that’s the point of much of the activity, but I don’t believe the filmmakers have pulled it off yet.

While revisiting the film in the days since I saw it, it’s occurred to me that maybe I’m trying to make what’s onscreen conform to my expectations, rather than taking it as presented.  I have ideas of where the story is going and who the characters are; is it truly up to the film and its creators to live up to what’s in my head?  Actually, I think that is the case.  James Bond is not a recent invention, nor are the tropes that inhabit his stories.  Much of the the success- creative, box office, what have you- of the Bond films derives from working with what the audience expects to see from him.  I enjoyed the way these concepts were played with in Casino Royale; Quantum Of Solace is a step back in that regard.  I’m hoping that the next installment, whenever it comes, delivers a more satisfying James Bond experience.

~ by Chris Vander Wal on November 18, 2008.