Quantum of Solace (2008) Review
Bond was always the cool spy who out-thought the villains by using brains and his array of new gadgets. The spy portrayed by Sean Connery was a likable one, with a sense of humor and a charm which made him a ladies man. When he gets a few punches, we almost want him to become a superhero and squash the villain, but what he did was outwit them by his resourceful thinking. Casino Royale was critically acclaimed for bringing in the bond of the 21st century, a lean and mean secret agent with astonishing athleticism and ruthlessness. Daniel Craig, no doubt gave a standout performance, which he does in quantum of solace too.
The opening sequence of any bond movie sets the tone for the story and in this case the car chase is comparable to any that we have seen in an action movie, without any of the unique touches often seen in bond movies. There is not even the "I am Bond, James Bond" line! Nor the theme!
In previous landmark films such as Dr.No and Gold finger, the villain was given an aura of invincibility, which made Bonds task that much more difficult. In this movie, the villain is weak and lacks depth of characterization. Maybe, if the film is seen more as a continuation of Casino Royale, the viewer can connect with Craig's cold-blooded intensity in finding out the cause of his lover's death, but we can never connect with the bond, at least played with more sophistication by Brosnan. It is just a well made action movie, if you take away the fact that Bond is a legendary spy. It evokes comparison with the Bourne series, which at least had a plausible story line.
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