Quantum Of Solace Movie Review

When my Dad and I watch 70’s/80’s British cop shows (The Sweeney, The Professionals) we always have one resounding groan about certain episodes: “Oh noooo,” we’ll call, “It’s a political one.” Meaning - “bloody nora, we’ll never decipher what the fuck’s going on because politics never make sense”.

Quantum Of Solace gave me that feeling initially. Of course - Bond films always rely on politics to some degree - foreign relations and all that, but, Quantum Of Solace was particularly heavy. America are being naughty and garnering oil. This dude who says he can get oil is double crossing America because he wants to cut off some poorer towns water supply. This other president dude is looking out for his people so agrees to give the dude who wants to stop people drinking land in order to make dams. The hot chick is on a revenge mission because the president killed her Mum and sister. And Bond… well it’s him against the British government yet again as they try their damned hardest to stop him doing the job they pay him for.

So all in all it’s a bit complicated and will probably require frequent viewings of both the new flick and Casino Royale before you decipher exactly what’s going on.

While the plot’s heavy the dialogue and action is gritty like it’s predecessor. Daniel Craig’s Bond is more gritty than all the previous Bonds put together and he’s awesome at it. Some might even dare to say he’s a better Bond than Connery although this particular writer is too afraid to upset the traditionalists.

We need only mention that support actress Olga Kurylenko is hot seeing as I’ve no doubt that’s all anticipating (male) viewers will want from her. She gives a satisfyingly moody performance that suits the overall tone of the film but is much less of a focus than, for example, Eva Green as Vesper Lynd was. Seeing as the entire plot of Quantum Of Solace is born out of Vesper’s ashes though it would be unfair to compare the two ladies. Olga’s Camille is more of a well executed throw-away. It should be also mentioned in the obligatory Bond-girl paragraph that Gemma Arterton of period-drama fame puts in a staggering performance as the aptly named Strawberry Fields (Forever). So much so it’s a sin she spends less than 15 minutes on screen.

Oh and there are amazing explosions and car chases and boat chases and plane chases and stuff.

All in all though Quantum Of Solace picks up where Casino Royale left off… it could never be as ground breaking but it’s almost as good, if not a little baffling for this reviewers tiny mind.

Originally written for get2sammyb.co.uk and all that.

I saw it the other day myself. While I felt it was a good enjoyable watch, I also felt it lacked the classic Bond charm that even Casino Royal had. I know he's been revised for this era and is now akin to the real works of Ian Fleming, but I still feel the film could have been much better with some classic lines and a touch more of what we have come to expect. Despite the storyline. 

I kinda like that Bond's a lot more gritty these days. Mark my words Casino Royale aside this is still the best Bond film since Goldeneye. It's just... after Casino Royale being SO good it kinda disappoints a little bit -- not because the film is bad, more because Casino Royale is so good.

my main problem with the film is that they recreated bond in the last film and it was brilliant bond was a likeable character again not a smug asshole, however in QOS bond hardly says a word its like he is just the lynchpin for all these crazy action sequences. 

"my main problem with the film is that they recreated bond in the last film and it was brilliant bond was a likeable character again not a smug asshole, however in QOS bond hardly says a word its like he is just the lynchpin for all these crazy action sequences. "

its not as good as casino royale. good action flick but i felt Casino Royale was such a big leap forward for the series in the narrative and plot sense and i felt Quantam of Solace was a step backwards in that regard. i felt in quantam, the dialogue and plot was just there to move you from one action sequence to the next, much like the older bond films. plus i never felt he had any chemistry with the girl in this film , and generally did not care much for the girl in this film. That whole angle of girl witnesses her parents murder and grows up to seek revenge has been done before and was not interesting. whereas eva green in casino royale played a more interesting/human character , plus she had better on screen chemistry with bond from the get-go

I saw it a couple days ago and thought it totally sucked. While the story was intriguing and I do like a grittier bond, the shoddy camera work completely ruined the movie for me. I don't know what the director had been smoking, but he couldn't seem to leave the camera in one position for more than five seconds during action sequences. As awesome as I think it is to have a grittier bond, the movie was completely ruined for me by the piss-poor directing.