"Quantum of Solace" lacks expected flair.

Movie Review - Quantum of Solace: New Bond film packs big heat but lacks heart

By: Jesus Butler

Posted: 11/17/08

Car chase, gun fight, foot chase, knife fight, airplane chase, gun fight, explosions: that pretty much sums up "Quantum of Solace," the 22nd film in the James Bond franchise.

While the action is intense and gritty as ever, fans of 2006's "Casino Royale" will undoubtedly miss that film's more compelling plot and stronger character development. "Quantum" picks up almost literally where "Royale" left off, with Bond (once again played with violent vigor by Daniel Craig) on a mission of personal retribution. After the death of Vesper Lynd (Eve Green), his love interest in "Royale," Bond has set out to bring down Quantum, the organization that blackmailed Vesper and led to her death. Things take a turn for the worse when it is revealed Quantum is an extremely powerful international organization that even has agents deeply embedded within MI6.

Thus begins Bond's jaunt across the globe, which eventually leads him to Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a member of Quantum posing as an environmentalist, who is helping Bolivian General Medrano (Joaquín Cosio) stage a coup d'état in exchange for a chunk of desert land.

The plot continues in this manner between long and frequent action scenes, but never delivers a truly satisfying twist. Even the big reveal of the "precious resource" Greene aims to gain control of is a letdown. And Greene himself, though ably portrayed as a creeper by Amalric, can hardly match the grandeur of previous Bond villains; he is, after all, just one member of Quantum, not even a top dog.

For his part, Craig's James Bond is still more human than previous renditions of the character, though his inner turmoil has now been relegated to the level of subtext. Fresh off the loss of his true love, he's nowhere near ready to try and form any meaningful relationships. What this means for viewers is a rather vapid fling with MI6 agent Fields (Gemma Arterton), who falls for Bond within moments of being sent to retrieve him, followed by what can best be described as a working relationship with Camille (Olga Kurylenko), an associate of Greene's who is on her own mission of revenge against General Medrano.

Indeed, Bond's closest female associate in this film remains M, once again played masterfully by Judi Dench. One of "Casino Royale's" finer points was the exposition of the Bond character as we watched him truly fall for Vesper. It was compelling to get a glimpse at the character's beginnings, and why he becomes the uncaring womanizer we've known him to be. There are only faint whispers of those insights in this film, as now he's back in his shell, completely occupied with the task of bringing down Quantum and unwilling to make any real attachments along the way.

In the end, "Quantum" maintains the grit and intensity of "Royale," but has lost some of that film's style and heart. The cast's performances are strong, and the chases and fights are plentiful and eye catching, but there isn't enough to the plot to push things forward.

It feels like filler, like the bridge-the-gap middle film in a trilogy. It would be worth a rental for thrill seekers or die-hard Bond fans, but ultimately, it's a step in the wrong direction for the promising reboot of the Bond franchise "Casino Royale" alluded to. Let's hope the next installment gets things back on track.

Final score: 6/10.

jbutler@unews.com