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Quantum of Solace

Movie details

Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M interrogate Mr White who reveals the organisation which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.

Director Marc Forster

Stars Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Mathieu Amalric, Olga Kurylenko, Gemma Arterton, Jesper Christensen

Action violence

Our review

Daniel Craig returns for his second stint as Agent 007 in "Quantum of Solace", following on from "Casino Royale", the 2006 smash that reinvigorated the franchise.

"Quantum" picks up the story an hour after the end of the previous film, with Bond betrayed by his love, Vesper, and out for revenge. Travelling to Haiti, he meets the gorgeous and spirited Camille (Olga Kurylenko), who leads Bond to Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a ruthless businessman within the mysterious organisation known as Quantum.

Making his way around Europe, Bond tries to uncover the truth, while battling a conspiracy from within MI6. As he gets closer to finding the man he holds responsible for Vesper's betrayal, 007 must keep ahead of the CIA, the terrorists, and even M herself, to unravel Greene's sinister plan and stop Quantum.

There is no argument that Craig's portrayal of James Bond revolutionised the franchise and breathed new life into how the character has been portrayed. Gone are the cheesy double entendres, Q and the gadgets, and even Bond's trademark phrases (although he still likes a martini or two).

However, "Quantum's" Bond seems so detached here that he's almost completely apathetic. As always, there is no faulting the excellent action sequences, but they seem to act only as tenuous links within the plot, brought out when the story needs a push to the next phase. The supporting characters are a little on the weak side, also.

Greene, the token villain, seems to spend most of his time looking slightly deranged, while staring at everyone with his deep black eyes. And the revenge subplot involving the Bond girl, Camille, feels forced and detracts from the main story. The only redeeming character is M (Judy Dench), steely eyed in her resolve as usual (a sublime bit of casting all those years ago in "GoldenEye"). Watch also for several scenes throughout the film that pay homage to the Bond films of the past.

It's still shaken and stirred, but "Quantum of Solace" and this Bond tastes a little bitter.

7/10

Yury Glikin