Quantum of Solace

Quantum of Solace did not disappoint! James Bond is back, and Daniel Craig proves definitively that he is the best James Bond. Some have been harsh on this fantastic sophmore outing, but I disagree. Here's why ...

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Be warned ... SPOILERS AHEAD ...

I thought that this was a very mature and adult Bond film, which played like some of the original Connery Bond movies.

I thought the music was great. Some said that the music was lacking and, at times, absent. I noticed it throughout, and I liked it. It was thrilling when it needed to be and it emoted tension at other moments.

I liked the villain. He was a slimy rodent, but it plays with the theme of the first Daniel Craig movie, and now this one. They are not rushing the plot but gradually playing it out like veteran writers. Dominic Greene was just a pothole on the road to the real masterminds behind the criminal organization named Quantum. He was there to give Bond the next lead which will play out in Bond #23. Greene was slimy, but effective, and intimidating to the right people, like the lesser players in the big plan. His shrieks and wails while fighting Bond at the end were the perfect icing on his weakling cake; and in a real fight, untrained people would shriek and wail when they were fighting the man who could easily kill them. Bond could normally have dispatched him easily, but he had already fought half an army after being chased across the world, on no sleep, which was mentioned several times in the film. And, traditionally, Bond villains have not been powerful physical combatants; they have been scumbags with, sometimes, tough bodyguards.

The opening chase scene was masterful. It gave the requisite Bond action beginning while taking your mind off what was really going on. When everything was played out, it surprised you with the fact that there was a man in the trunk - always a cool element. The chase scene was not essential to the film, which fits with the openings of almost all other Bond films. The assassination attempt in the MI6 secret interrogation room (and subsequent rooftop chase) was very important, so it had to be after the pre-title sequence and the opening credits.

That crazy desert hotel was supposed to be some eco-hotel, just like Brad Pitt is supposedly trying to design. It fits with the theme of Dominic Greene's eco-industry. I can image that he was planning on turning it into a paradise oasis for the rich when if his water scheme worked out.
As for the supporting cast, it was top notch. The Bond girls were outstanding. Olga Kurylenko was marvelous as the determined and dangerous, but torn former Bolivian agent out for revenge. Judi Dench was great as M; she delivered one of the best lines in the film. Gemma Arterton was smoking hot as Agent Fields. I thought Felix Leiter was played exceptionally well. Jeffery Wright was both likeable and intimidating. And I thought that the Mathis character was flushed out enough after both films by Giancarlo Giannini.

All in all, it was a more mature film that did not need to spoon feed its audience. The lack of silly gadgets was refreshing, as it was in Casino Royale, and the espionage, target following, and information gathering played like a spy flick from the day. And it showed that Bond is not only a spy, but an assassin, as seen in the hotel in Port-au-Prince. That was awesome when he held Slate down while he bled out!

I like this one better than Casino Royale. Casino Royale is still my second favorite.

Did I mention that Gemma Arterton was smoking hot?