Quantum of Solace (DVD, 2009, 2-Disc Set, Checkpoint; Sensormatic; Widescreen)

By Karl J. Paloucek of the Channel Guide Store

The James Bond franchise — not to mention Bond himself — got a terrific makeover with 2006’s "Casino Royale." Daniel Craig quickly made mincemeat of the doubters who had initially scoffed at his being cast in the role of the consummate British superspy. It didn’t hurt that the decision had been made to go back to Bond’s literary origins, in something of a tabula rasa for the series as a whole. In effect, we got a new Bond, a more complex and human version than we’d previously seen. It was a brilliant move that gave the series the rejuvenation it so badly needed.

"Quantum of Solace" picks up the trail of Bond’s sorrow where we’d left it. Mr. White, apprehended at the end of Casino Royale, reveals under interrogation that the organization that blackmailed Vesper — Bond’s love interest in Casino — into betraying him, is more vast and complex than anyone could have guessed, infiltrating even top levels of MI6. But in ferreting out the traitor, Bond uncovers a link in Haiti, where, by chance, he meets Camille, who leads him to Dominic Greene, a savage businessman seeking total control of one of the world’s essential natural resources under the guise of an environmental foundation. Greene is also near the heart of the organization Bond holds responsible for Vesper’s death.

Bond is still haunted by Vesper’s memory, and of the memory of what could have been, and it’s what gives Quantum of Solace its tension. Torn between his overwhelming impulse for revenge and his duty to his country (and to his boss, M, impeccably reprised by the venerable Judi Dench), Bond struggles to restrain himself in his pursuit of the truth. As he recklessly throws himself into the chase — often literally; as is seemingly required, there are many incredible chase sequences — the bodies begin to tally up, tempting M to take him out of action.

And that’s what’s best about both this Bond film and its antecedent — as propelled as it is by the furious action, it’s very character driven. In the past, we’ve always rooted for Bond and sympathized with him as the hero, but through Craig’s interpretation of the role, we’re getting to know him in a very textural manner. He’s more real to us, with personal concerns and conflicted loyalties.

If there’s a caveat to be issued regarding Quantum of Solace, it’s that seeing Casino Royale is essential to fully understanding all of the character and plot nuances that Quantum offers. It’s a fast-moving, labyrinthine story with numerous players, all with their own agendas. It can be difficult to follow, but most should find the effort worth it.

When Casino Royale arrived two years ago I was a very happy person. I was one of what feels like the few people that actually wanted Craig to do well as Bond. I wasn't moaning about him being blonde, I wasn't moaning about the lack of gadgets, I was just happy to see one of my favourite fictional characters back on screen. As many people know I am a huge Bond fan, I have all the movies, I love them all in their unique way, and even if Casino Royale had been a disaster I would have found some enjoyment out of it. Thankfully it wasn't a disaster, it was actually one of the best Bond movies made. Quantum of Solace is a direct sequel of Royale, and so I once again had high expectations of it. Perhaps even more so than with Royale, as now I knew Craig is a superb Bond, and I wanted the story to evolve more. Let me start off by saying Solace is not as good as Royale, and for many people that will be a problem, as so many people were expecting an even better movie. While it is an extremely good movie, and a brilliant Bond movie, its just not one of the best and does have a few problems. Still as a Bond fan I still absolutely loved nearly every minute of the movie. It isn't overlong and outstays its welcome like Royale, but neither is it rushed as I feared. The performances are incredibly strong once again and there are some thrilling action sequences thrown in as well.

Daniel Craig once again is very strong as Bond, and unlike what a lot of critics have said, is actually good fun. He can deliver a pun quite well, and he also does the dramatic and seriousness of Bond to perfection. In short he is definitely up there in terms of quality with Sean Connery. He feels a bit more comfortable as Bond this time around, he doesn't have to say the famous line which sadly felt a tad forced at the end of Royale. Instead he does get his fair share of brooding, although his verbal sparring with Gemma Arterton is pretty brilliant. The lead Bond girl this time is played by Olga Kurylenko, who I last saw in the dismal Hit-man movie. Thankfully here she plays a very interesting, although different Bond girl. She doesn't appear much for the first half, and her first sequence seemed more random than interesting. However she does develop quite nicely and by the end she is definitely one of the better Bond girls. Lead villain duties go to Mathieu Amalric. I have to say he was a bit of a disappointment after the brilliant Lechiffre in Royale. Amalric is a slimy villain, and he does put in a good performance, but his villain just isn't all that menacing, and I can see him being one of the easily forgettable Bond baddies. Judi Dench gets an awful lot more screen time this time round, and its all the better for it. M has been rewritten as a superb character, and gets some nice bit of swearing to do. Finally Gemma Arterton is fairly decent as a wasted Bond girl. She has way too little screen time, and far too little to do, however she does shine through, and features in one of the more memorable moments of the movie.

Coming off a relaunch of a great Bond movie from Goldeneye's Martin Campbell,(Casino Royale), you better bring your A+ game here. Sadly it does not in my opinion. It picks up after CR, which is different from all the other Bonds, and is also nice because you always wonder what happens next after all of these movies. The action was good, the directing is ok, by all means I respect ones artistic vision and all but, taking sound out where it should be, and cutting away to horses in the middle of a chase scene really bothers me when watching a Bond film I want to see sexy action stuff not artsy fartsy stuff. Sexy is Gemma A, not Olga K, I didn't think she was all that for a Bond girl. The bad guy also I thought was kind of a weenie as well. I mean he didn't come off as some bad ass villain just a greedy guy. I think all Bond really had to do is drain his bank account and he would have been really screwed. Come to think of it sand and desert is not sexy either makes me appreciate pool maintenace people more. The credit sequences was not used by Daniel Kleinman who did the title sequences for the past 5 films which I thought were the best becasue it prepared you for the Bond experience, but instead used another co. which was still good but sand and crap how that could be cool looking I don't know. The theme from Jack White and Alicia Keys is rather annoying too I can't get the beat of it, and I know they wanted to young it up and all with this collaboration but it sounds off to me, not cool enough. Last but not least the word MAAM sounds like MOM with the british accents here, not a big deal but forewarning for those who are not "englishly" trained. The only part I liked was the ending, they finally show Craig do the barrel shoot at the camera which technically should have been at the beginning of the film, hence a really awesome rendition of it in "Royale" actually this movie really made me appreciate the 1st one with Craig. For serious Bond fanatics only, and get it cheap here. The 2 disc version isn't anything special either the only thing on the 2nd disc are the web content videos that you can watch online anyway, not worth it.

As the only direct sequel in the Bond films, Quantum of Solace had numerous challenges ahead of it, many in just being a Bond film, but many also in trying to try directly into a previous film. Quantum lives up to its challenges.

There is one exceptionally beautiful scene in the film, which is the opening in silence with the car chase. It is a wonderful way to draw the audience in by defying expectations of noise. Makes one wonder what a Bond film would be like if it was mostly silent and highly stylized.

Daniel Craig, unfortunately, will likely, through no fault of his own, be relegated to a two-film legacy in the Bond world, and unlike Timothy Dalton, his two are exceptionally good. Too bad that MGM could not keep its financial affairs in better condition, because I was ready for a sequel a year ago, but there may not be another Bond film for several years.

I grew up watching Bond movies and I believe Daniel Craig could be the best Bond yet. I have purchased Quantum of Solace as well as the latest version of Casino Royale and enjoyed them both. Craig definitely delivers a rough-around-the-edges version of Bond. His portrayal of being an agent that is hard to control is dead on. I endured the Roger Moore(who I feel was the worst Bond ever) years when Bond was loaded with gadgets and one-liners, but not all that impressive. I feel Daniel Craig brings Bond back to a believable character with not so many gadgets and a lot more seriousness. He definitely delivers a tough guy image and his rugged yet handsome(according to my wife) looks make him an outstanding choice for this role. In keeping with 007 tradition, this film has a lovely leading lady(that doesn't have a stupid name). The only segment of this film I didn't like was the destruction of some remarkable cars. Sadly, it wouldn't be 007 without some cars getting destroyed, would it? I purchased my 2 disc set from a great Ebayer at a great price, well wort the money. Get your copy, I am sure you'll enjoy it!