Quantum of Solace picks up pretty quickly after the events in Casino Royale. Vesper (Eva Green) is dead, Bond (Daniel Craig) is bitter and M (Judi Dench) is dead set on finding out the identity of the mysterious organization causing so much havoc around the world. Bond vows to blow the lid off Quantum but M is concerned that her 007 is acting out of anger instead of professional protocol. Along the way, Bond meets a woman named Camille (Olga Kurylenko) who also has a score to settle with a big baddie.

The main villain is a dude named Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric). He heads an ecological “shell company” called Greene Planet. While in the public eye it appears Greene’s organization is devoted to saving the planet the truth is revealed that Greene has more sinister schemes running behind the curtain.

So how was it? Let’s start with the good. Overall, I loved how the movie continues from right after Casino Royale. Usually, the Bond films are stand alone episodes so to see some major continuity was quite pleasant. Even Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) and Rene Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) are back to reinforce the, ahem, bond between Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.

The women in Quantum of Solace are a mixed bag of personalities. “M” is again exquisitely portrayed by Judi Dench (that’s Dame Judi Dench, if you’re nasty). What a delight I had seeing Miss Dench get in on more of the action in Quantum of Solace. Instead of just being the official bookend of the movie M is very active in Bond’s investigation and also in trying to keep him restrained. Though she ultimately fails I must say that her attempts are valiant, at least, to keep Bond under control. The scenes between Dench and Craig are some of the highlights of the film. M trusts Bond but she worries about him and perhaps might be a little afraid of him. Still, she knows that whatever personal issues her 007 might have he will do his duty. And the scenes allow us to see the devotion Bond has to M. He may play cheeky but under the surface I think he has a lot of respect for her. 

The first “Bond Girl” we meet is Camille Montes, a Russian / Bolivian agent who hooks up with Mr. Greene in the hopes of getting close to her true target, General Medrano (Joaquin Cosio). Camille is played by Olga Kurylenko who I remember most vividly as the female lead “Nika” in the 2007 film, Hitman. With a latin accent and a “magic” tan Kurylenko certainly looks and sounds the part. What is most refreshing about “Camille” is that she can handle herself. I know that traditionally the “Bond Girl” is supposed to be 50% gorgeous and 50% helpless but when Bond is paired with a woman that could be his equal that’s when the sparks really fly. Camille is no damsel in distress. She’s a trained agent and a highly useful ally for Bond. The chemistry between James and Camille is less about lust and more about a shared thirst for fulfilling their respective vendettas.

Bond Girl #2 is Fields, Strawberry Fields. Ms. Fields (Gemma Arterton) is sent from MI6 to escort James back to headquarters. Though Ms. Fields doesn’t have as large a role in the flick she definitely leaves a memorable impression. Ms. Arterton is quite striking with her fiery red mane and mischievous smile. I also wondered what she was wearing under that trench coat in her introductory scene but I suspect she wasn’t wearing anything at all. The perfect lure for our favorite booty hound.

Daniel Craig, the star himself, seems to have settled in to his new role comfortably. Basically, it’s the same Bond from Casino Royale except he’s a little angrier because of Vesper. His pride is hurt and he’s licking his wounds for most of the picture.

The running gag in Quantum of Solace is that Bond can’t seem to capture any bad guys for questioning because he keeps killing them. On the other hand, there are some nice moments where Craig is able to show the humorous side of Bond that we’ve grown accustomed to over the years. It’s not as obvious or as flamboyant as the puns and innuendos in the past but the subtle smirks fit with the sophisticated tone of the story.

No offense to Mathieu Amalric but Dominic Greene was kind of boring. I realize that not every Bond villain has to have a gimmick like a furry kitty or steel jaws but Greene just seemed like a snotty pencil pusher. It’s quite dastardly the way he uses an environmentalist front to attain his wealth and power. Aside from that there isn’t much else to him. Perhaps another reason why Bond is so annoyed is that he gets such a ho-hum Quantum bureaucrat instead of one of the major members of the syndicate. I think Amalric gave it the old college try. I don’t blame him, of course. He’s paid to deliver the lines not write them, afterall.

The action is stupendous. The most memorable is a foot chase in Italy between Bond and a Quantum underling. Through underground tunnels to the rooftops of the houses and through the glass of the cathedral they went. Car chases, boat chases, and a heated battle in a blazing hotel are shown in as much brilliance as the camera can absorb. While all the Bonds have shown stunt prowess I dare to say that Mr. Craig really goes 110% in those harrowing action scenes. Still, it should be noted that the scenes are a bit on the hasty side. Some of my fellow movie buffs were put off by the choppy editing during the fights and chases.

The special effects were good. I’m sure those stunt shots had some CGI and green screen tinkering. I was tickled by the computer screens at HQ. The touch screen sequence was neat though I wish it was a little slower. And though it’s a small effect I loved the way the names of the locations were presented. Minor, I know, but I thought it was a creative way of informing the audience where in the world Bond was.

As you can see, Quantum of Solace has a lot of enticing things to offer the viewer. However, not all was perfection. For starters, the theme song “Another Way To Die” did not catch my favor. I have much respect for Jack White (The White Stripes) and I adore Alicia Keyes but the collaboration just didn’t work for me. I felt really bummed especially after Chris Cornell’s fantastic theme “You Know My Name” from Casino Royale. I’m not saying it was horrible song but as a Bond theme I expected better. However, David Arnold saves the music by delivering a solid score for the movie.

While James and Camille’s revenge plots were easy to understand the part of the story that dealt with the Quantum investigation was a tad challenging to grasp at times. For starters, I didn’t realize what the Quantum was until after the movie. I was asking my friends what the "Quantum of Solace" was because if they revealed it in the film I totally missed it. When I have to ask people and Wikipedia about a film’s plot points that indicates to me that something went amiss in the storytelling. I mean, I’m no card playing expert but I understood 99% of what Casino Royale was about. I don’t know if it was the accents or the script or the editing or maybe the action scenes shellshocked me more than I thought. I know I plan to buy the DVD just so I can watch the whole thing again and pick up what I missed in the first viewing.

My verdict is that Quantum of Solace was worth the wait. The action was bombastic and the characters were intriguing, the parts of the plot I did understand were very entertaining and insightful. The new players mesh well with the returning cast. A so-so bad guy, script snags, and a migraine inducing theme song douses a little rain on the 007 parade but those flaws certainly won’t stop the show.

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