Quantum of Solace

I went into this movie with a few preconceptions... mostly in the negative. After the fantastic reception given Casino Royale, the critical play on Quantum was very subdued.

It would be fair to say I started the film expecting disappointment. Perhaps this is why I enjoyed it so much...

Quantum of Solace is fairly standard James Bond plotting... but they retained the aspect of Casino Royale I liked best, which was James as slightly more realistic in his abilities. He fails on occasion, if not in meeting the final goal. I mean, it's James Bond. The bad guy is going to lose and probably die. Along with several henchmen and at least on woman James slept with, usually early in the film.

Daniel Craig's protrayal as Bond is now firmly in second place for me, an spot I had in mind following Casino. And I'm not certain that some of that isn't simply loyalty to Sean Connery.

I like this Bond. He bleeds. He bruises. But he gets the job done, sometimes through luck, sometimes through ingenuity and sometimes through sheer stubbornness.

The plot follows Bond's attempt to puzzle out the why of what happened at the end of Casino. He is focused on putting to rest the questions and anger left over from the death of his love. Along the way, he finds a sort of piece by helping someone else achieve a similar revenge to that he is looking to enact.

There are plenty of chases and explosions and a few wisecracks. This is James Bond, after all. The women are hot, James is detached, and the bad guys and a couple of good ones bite the dust.

The best thing about the recent reinvention of Bond is a holdover, though. Judi Dench as M. While I like Craig as Bond, I love Dench as M. She rocks. And they have given her much more to do in these last two films then we ever saw m do before. Indeed, the key relationship we come to care about is that between these two. Call it adversarial teamwork, with M trying to reign in Bond enough to keep him alive until he achieves some wisdom.

The title is a problem. It doesn't really mean anything, it just sounds cool.

Quantum of Solace is a solid second entry in the new Bond mythos, with a little minor growth in the title character, some major changes in his relationship with his boss and a solid foundation for the future of this franchise.