Quantum of Solace

James Bond's latest adventure, Quantum of Solace, is not a film to enter into groggily. It barrels along at such a routinely breakneck pace that somewhere after the first 30 minutes, which include a car chase of anonymous peril, a rooftop pursuit, a gun fight suspended from a series of pulleys and levers, and a motorcycle hunt turned boat race after said motorcycle is driven off a pier and onto a motorboat, you'll wonder what exactly is going on and consider whether this is not as much a film as a conglomerate of chase scenes. Neat action-oriented exploits have always been a primary function of the 007 franchise, which had its second inaugural installment recently with the reboot Casino Royale, but this new offering ups the action ante to extreme new levels of blankly executed murder and destruction. Quite oppositely, it also tries more than others to offer continuity and emotional causality between installments. Here Bond is still mourning the betrayal and death of Casino Royale flame Vesper Lynd (Eva Green, in pictures only) and chasing after the evil organization that used her against him. The emotional arc for Bond (yes, he has one) is sometimes stirring and decently handled though all his gruelling misadventures on land and at sea offset the braininess of the script with unfettered brutality.

Craig continues to do great work as the stoic central figure of the films. Due to his efforts, Bond has been effectively and convincingly remolded as a handsome brute rather than a smooth talking sexaholic whose debauchery most often bordered on (and sometimes bled into) the category of masculinized camp. Still plucky as ever after all these years is Judi Dench whose matronly rabble rouser, M, makes for one of the most fun and easy to love authority figures around. Credit in this film also goes to Olga Kurylenko for her feisty performance as the atypical and surprisingly asexual Bond beauty, Camille, who despite expectations is actually a female character of some substance and independent motivation (i.e. she wants more than to sleep with James Bond). Mathieu Almaric, who caused a stir in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, also rises to the task of the token French-ish villain with plans for dastardly world domination (by odd Chinatown-esque means).

Though the ratio of action sequences to plot and drama is most assuredly unbalanced, Quantum of Solace still offers fun and easy entertainment with the faintest, much appreciated spark of authentic characterization. Its cryptic plot can be baffling at times, but what's present works well enough and what's absent can be mostly overlooked for those who simply want to enjoy the wild ride. Solace continues admirably in the style adapted by Casino Royale to help turn this once crap-tacular franchise into something more edgy, modern, and commercially viable.

Grade: B