Quantum Of Solace

Review by Sean Lynch
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Why did it take the success of The Dark Knight, Casino Royale, the Bourne trilogy and Iron Man for Hollywood to realise that if you make a good movie, people will go and see it?

Surely they couldn't be so blind as to think everyone was going to grin and bear hollow offerings like Fantastic Four : Rise Of The Silver Surfer forever did they?

Well... perhaps Fox is... but I'm referring to those studios that haven't been churning out junk all year.

Quantum Of Solace continues the high octane, high quality and ball-bustling rebooted adventures of James Bond (Daniel Craig) which began with Casino Royale.

Sure, they aren't even hiding the fact that it's directly influenced by the Bourne series anymore (hell, Bond is even pursued by his own agency in this one as well) but that doesn't seem to stop Quantum of Solace marking one of Bond's most enjoyable cinematic outings yet.

Kicking off mere hours after the culmination of the events in Casino Royale we find Bond in a fierce car chase (with the obligatory Aston Martin) bursting through the streets just ahead of an Alpha Romeo equipped with men and machine guns.

Once he disposes of those faceless baddies, we delve into the adventure.

Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his last mission personal.

Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and 'M' (Judi Dench, who my Dad has a truly weird obsession for) interrogate the mysterious 'Mr. White' who reveals that the organisation which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.

Yep - as the best evil organisations do, they've got people everywhere and in every aspect of life - this one goes straight to the top.

What follows is a minefield of murder and deceit, as Bond allies with old friends, some sexy new women in a battle to uncover the truth -- all in one perfectly tailored suit. 

However, as Bond gets closer to finding the man responsible things start to get tricky, leaving poor old James to fend off not only the enemy... but the CIA, terrorist cells, and even 'M'.

Let me be honest though. I've never understood a single James Bond movie. Not once.

Perhaps it's because I can never quite seem to keep track of all the names and motives, meaning that when we eventually get to the "he double crossed you, but you double crossed her uncle's brother's sister, oh, and I killed them both" big reveal - it all becomes quite irrelevant because my eyes simply gloss over.

But, to Bond's credit, he always knows how to draw you back in with an explosion or twelve. 

And believe me, the explosions in Quantum Of Solace are some of the best a Bond movie has offered yet. The action is simply phenomenal.

What sets this current reboot of the franchise apart (and, I guess this is true of Bourne as well) from the classic Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan flicks is simple: you can really feel the pain of each hit inflicted upon James Bond, no matter how unbelievable the circumstances.

The key here seems to be director Marc Forster's insistence on keeping the camera moving. It's a skill which has served the current spate of 'quality genre' movies quite well, and it's definitely one of Quantum Of Solace's stronger elements, because the action feels relentless.

What is most striking is the sheer audacity and complexity of the action sequences. 

The choreography of it all is utterly superb (hopefully a Reality TV Game show hits our TV screens soon: So You Think You Can Action Sequence), a particular highlight coming during a remarkably suspenseful encounter between Bond, a baddie and some conveniently placed scaffolding.

It really is like poetry in motion.

In every respect, the movie looks superb. No expense has been spared on scouting locations across the globe, with on-site action sequences across some seriously remote locations, which gives the film such an amazing visual depth and charisma.

Add to that the contrasts of Bond and his gal in dinner suits walking across barren desert and you've got yourself some prime visual imagery / advertising for top shelf Italian wool suits.

Whether you're a fan of the classics or not, Quantum of Solace is a must see for every popcorn movie goer. All the elements are here, with an excellent return to the nostalgic Bond opening sequences of yesteryear - Jack White and Alicia Keys have delivered in spades with the song Another Way To Die.

It's fun, it's gritty, it's fast paced and it's damn sexy.

3.5 out of 5

Quantum Of Solace
Australian release: 19th November, 2008
Official Site: Quantum Of Solace
Cast: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Jesper Christensen, Olga Kurylenko
Director: Marc Forster