Hola all. Massawyrm here.
Daniel Craig IS James Bond. No, that’s not a statement of fact for those five people still living under a rock that haven’t heard about Casino Royale. Nor is it some kitschy cool intro to a faux trailer to get you all ramped up. No. It is my new answer to that age old question “Who is your favorite James Bond?” Look, I love the living hell out of Connery and I pretty much grew up on Roger Moore’s campy take on the character. But no one, NO ONE has brought the depth, cool callousness and sheer brutality to Bond that Craig does. He’s the James Bond we’ve been waiting for. And his two films with the mantle have rebooted the series in a way we’ve wanted for quite some time.
Oh, and while I’m talking about how ridiculously cool Daniel Craig is, I might as well mention how positively awesome Quantum of Solace is.
Picking up right where the last film left off, Bond is still embroiled in an international plot involving La Chiffre’s boss, the money man ultimately behind the death of his girlfriend. The film explodes into a frenetic, Bourne Supremacy style car chase that then sets the mood for the pacing of the entire film – and then it’s off to effectively continue the story. One could easily sit down and watch this back to back with Casino Royale and find the experience more of one extended story than two individual episodic ones like previous Bond films. But that’s not to say that the films lack differences. They are, to a certain extent, VERY different – it is just that they are consistent enough in all the right places to make them perfect companions.
All of the major complaints people had about the last film are gone entirely. There’s zero card playing, the action beats happen much faster, there’s no sappy love story and most important of all, there is no mysterious fourth act that springs up just when you think the movie is over and done with. No, Quantum of Solace is a fast paced action packed Bond film that actually feels very familiar. Almost too familiar in fact.
If Quantum has one flaw, it is this: it is identical in structure and feel to the Bourne Identity series. From the brutal fights in confined spaces, to the rapid cutting – right on down to the ACTION SCENE followed by five minutes of plot that gets interrupted by an ACTION SCENE followed by five minutes of exposition interrupted once again by ANOTHER ACTION SCENE and now we’re running through the streets of some distant locale. This breathless, never bored for a second action style isn’t just reminiscent of Bourne, in one scene it seems directly inspired by it. Personally I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The worst Bond films are the ones that suffer the crime of being dull – and even the harshest critics won’t be able to say that here. Instead they might try to invoke the old ADD Editing defense – and they wouldn’t exactly be off the mark.
But if this film was only about Bond on the run like Bourne, then it might be worth taking the piss out of it for the comparison. But it isn’t. In fact there are three very distinct things they are doing with the franchise that I am whole heartedly in love with. First and foremost, they are seriously developing the relationship between M (Judi Dench) and Bond. Those playful moments tempered with seriousness get further attention here as M has to deal with a loose cannon and Bond continues being Bond. Secondly, and very much tied into the first, is Bond’s penchant for killing rather than subduing his foes. Long a cliché parodied for decades, here they’ve turned it not into a glorification of violence, but into something of a handicap. Bond kills without thought, and that fact leaves him with few clues and even fewer friends. The tension during scenes with M every time she gets a report of another corpse-of-interest begins first as comic relief only to gradually build to a frothing boil. There comes a point when you begin to wince at Bond’s violent streak, if only because you know he should probably ask the guy a few questions before putting a knife in his neck and throwing him off of a roof.
And finally, one of the greatest elements of the new Bond is the fact that this is one continuing story with simply a number of radically different missions. Quantum of Solace has a resolution, but Bond never single-handedly brings down a multi-nation criminal organization. There’s no big round-up or magical island raid to wrap things up neatly. If you’re paying attention you’ll notice that there’s more to do and while it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger (nor leaves you wanting), you have a very solid idea of what the third film will no doubt be about – if only somewhat.
Chock full of plenty of inventive scenes, great dialog and a couple of “oh fuuuuuh-ck meee” moments, Quantum of Solace is every bit the Bond movie it should be. It is fun without ever being goofy and thrilling without loading up on cheap gags. Director Marc Forster, one of the most diverse directors working today, has picked up where Martin Campbell left off and continued to let James Bond evolve without sacrificing the fun that goes with him. Sure Bond is still the cocksure, brazen misogynist we’ve all come to know and love. They’ve just made it believable. He’s not a Saturday morning cartoon anymore. Those days are gone. I love those old movies. They are very much a wonderful product of their time. But times have changed. And it was time for a new, improved Bond.
Daniel Craig is that Bond. And after Quantum of Solace he is officially my favorite.
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.
Massawyrm
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