QoS: The Bond Strikes Back

12Nov08

 

I knew something big was planned for the next film in the new Bond franchise when I saw Quantum of Solace, but I had no idea what I was in store for. Quantum of Solace (which takes it’s title only from a 007 short story from the book “For Your Eyes Only”) has everything that you can expect from the second film in a franchise. This is the Empire Strikes Back of Bond films.

And you can relax, this advanced review of the film is spoiler-free.

Few people probably know my love for James Bond; it started at a young age and was continually enhanced by my father’s equal fascination with the character. I have three great fictional characters in my life, however: Superman, Irwin M. Fletcher, and James Bond.

Every year Dad and I would catch up on the films that had been released to date, and as I’ve grown I’ve continued to do so each passing year. When Casino Royale was announced back in 2005, I was happy to see a reboot of the franchise, even though I was a bit reluctant to jump on board the Daniel Craig train, but I was pleasantly surprised when the time came for release. Casino Royale was the first Bond novel Ian Fleming ever wrote, so using it as a jumping off point for a new Bond franchise seemed like the right mode of transportation.  A fresh Bond, just christened with his liscense to kill and ‘00′ status made for a great new story telling device, and one that differed from previous stories.

Casino Royale ended on a cliffhanger of sorts, something that hasn’t really been used in 007 films since “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (one of my favorite Bond movies, which didn’t really have a cliffhanger but could have been viewed as one). Bond films are usually stand alone, one-shot stories. A lot of reasons for that are due to changing writers, directors, and of course, the actors playing Bond. I had really hoped when Pierce Brosnan signed for 4 films, they would play off of each other and build a story. Alas, the only continuance we got was the story of Q progressing to that of John Clesse’s R.

There are clever differences in this than we’ve had in previous films. First off this is a cold James Bond, still getting his feet wet in the game of espionage, still learning the ropes, and still scarred from the events of Casino Royale. Promising M (whose role in this film is far more active than it’s ever been in previous 007 takes) that the recent events do not dictate his actions or his motives, Bond takes off to find out who has wronged him, MI6, and the British government.

Starting off in Italy, the film begins no more than 10 minutes after the final shot (no pun intended) in Casino Royale. (The video game of QoS does a great job of bridging the gap in time between the two films). However I like the way we start, not sure what’s going on with 007 but immediately thrust into his story and his struggle. One key thing that Bond film formulas always follow are the up/down time between dialogue and action. The line is blurred in QoS, almost immediately. It’s a much shorter film, so there isn’t as much time for the exposition this time around as there was in Casino Royale. The action, however, is more packed than I’ve seen in a Bond film since 1995’s Goldeneye. I’m always very skeptical to name a favorite entry into the franchise, but I do believe that Goldeneye is Brosnan’s best outing.

One thing QoS will do, more than anything, is solidify that Craig is Bond. He’s as much gentlemen as assassin, as much sophisticated as he is spy, and as brave as he is bold.Craig’s as cocky as he was in Casino Royale but he has a reason to be. It’s 2008. it’s a new Bond, and in two films he’s had more shit thrown at him than any Bond to date. I love how cold Craig plays Bond in QoS, how almost unforgiving he is to his enemies, to his lovers, and even to M and his colleagues. 

QoS lies in the aftermath of Casino Royale, so if you haven’t seen the first, you’re not going to have a clue what’s going on. 007 plotlines are sometimes hard enough to pick up on, so having the second part coming this weekend, now is as good a time as any to start your Bond watch. That’s not to say you won’t enjoy the hell out of it if you haven’t seen Casino, you’ll just be much more inclined to appreciate it.

Now you’ll hear the critics say, “There’s no, ‘Bond, James Bond’.” There’s no “shaken not stirred”. And with a Bond story lacking Moneypenny and Q, people want some familiarity with a character so deep rooted in lore that they can find those little nuances. You won’t find them in Quantum of Solace. And you don’t need them. This is a Bond for the ages, the most-action packed one in 13 years, and some of the best action vs. dialogue that has been produced in this style film in a long, long time. I think some of these scenes are my favorite ever from a 007 film, and without a doubt, my favorite ending to a James Bond movie ever, based on the acting between Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench and the cinematography used in the scene.

If I had one major complaint, besides the very short running time, it’d be the film’s score. I wasn’t as excited for the soundtrack this time around. It was lacking compared to that of Casino Royale. I did love the Jack White composed title theme but they didn’t do as good a job of incorporating it into the film’s score as previous 007 soundtracks are able to do and, more specifically, Casino Royale’s main theme. Now watching the movie, you can’t tell this as much as you can when you’re just listening from your iTunes. The right selections are used in the right scenes, but sometimes action on screen can make for a much more solid soundtrack.

Overall, QoS deserves a strong 4.5 out of 5 stars for the entertainment it delivers. In a Hollywood full of old ideas and rebooted franchises, this was a solid take on a new story that progressed Craig’s Bond forward and leaves you wanting the third film to begin right after the credits. Every Bond film deserves one thing, an immediate re-watch. I’m off to do mine now.

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