Quantum of Solace (2008) Movie Review

The cold open to Quantum of Solace depicts shadowy shots of cars riding through the Italian countryside. Then, the scene kicks into gear and we get a brutal, tight-traffic car chase. Stunt choreography is intricate and editing is tight. It is the way a Bond film should start.

Secret agent James Bond (Daniel Craig) escapes his pursuers and rides into the city of Siena. Out of eyesight, he parks his heavily damaged Aston Martin and pops the trunk to reveal Mr. White (Jesper Christensen), higher-up of international crime syndicate Quantum.

In a secret MI6 station in Siena, Mr. White is interrogated about the company he works for. He is simply giddy about how little the Americans and the Brits know about Quantum. He then lets Bond and M (Judi Dench) know that Quantum has people everywhere. This includes employees of MI6. An undercover Quantum agent springs Mr. White free, and an extended foot chase occurs, a foot chase that culminates in some of the best stunt work in Bond-dom.

Quantum of Solace expands the role of Dench as MI6 head M. Her performance is great, as per usual. Her and Craig have the best chemistry possible. And Craig is a pure natural as the franchise character.

The hand-to-hand action sequences in the film are very reminiscent of the Bourne franchise, so much so that it feels like a forced mirroring. They are well choreographed, sure, but there is a lack of originality that is visible in these scenes.

The villain of the film, Dominic Green (Mathieu Amalric), is your usual Bond villain. Quietly sadistic. Calmly intimidating. Amalric plays it well, but it is a cookie-cutter impersonation of the villains before him.

Quantum of Solace may have been greeted with a lukewarm response on its initial run due to it being a direct sequel to Casino Royale, a movie that came out two years earlier. Certainly it does not live up to its predecessor, but that doesn’t render it wholly forgettable. It has its place in Craig’s run as James Bond.