Movie Notes: Quantum Of Solace
= 3 stars
Starring Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric
Directed by Marc Forster
Synopsis
James Bond (Daniel Craig) investigates the death of Vesper Lynd, which leads to a multinational conspiracy based in Bolivia.
The Good
- Craig, steely, stoic, stone-faced killer, who seems to subsist on alcohol and quick kills.
- Driven to avenge Vesper Lynd, Bond actually goes rogue, abandoning M and going off on his own, recalling the previous, dark Bond misfire Licence to Kill.
The Bad
- Haphazard, confusing direction during action scenes: think Michael Bay where things are shot from a thousand different directions and cut between as quickly as possible. You get the feeling of always missed something.
- Convoluted plot, without much of a payoff. Previous Bond conspiracies led to some delusional mad man overseeing a ridiculously complicated base in the bottom of the earth containing a spaceship. Where we end up is nowhere grandiose enough.
- Unimpressive “Bond women,” especially in the comparison to Lynd of the previous outing.
Conclusion
Despite the opportunity to make a better License to Kill, all we have here is average Bond in every way except one: the solidly menacing Craig. But that’s not enough to take a flick over rental material.
IMDB: Quantum Of Solace
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