Raging Bond

007’s back, and this time he wants revenge…

How far would you go to avenge the death of the one you love? That is possibly the question hovering James Bond’s mind as he seeks retribution in Quantum of Solace, the 22nd instalment of the highly successful franchise. Broken and betrayed by lover Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, Bond will stop at nothing to seek answers.

Once again played by Daniel Craig and taking place roughly an hour after the previous adventure, the movie opens up on a high note, with a breathtaking, fast-paced car chase down the Alps between Bond’s Aston Martin DBS and two Alfa Romeo 159s. This was however followed by an opening theme song that was rather forgettable by Bond standards, lacking that certain catchiness that made them iconic.

This time Agent 007 is out to get corrupt businessman and rogue environmentalist Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) who attempts to control the entire water supply of Bolivia for his own gain. Looking all goggle-eyed, Greene does seem rather funny at times.

Teaming up with Bond is the beautiful Camille (Olga Kurylenko), who’s out to get a corrupt Bolivian dictator who raped and burned her family. Bond doesn’t go to bed with her, instead it’s the similarity between the two that connects them together and differentiates Camille from the typical Bond girl.

Making her little mark in the movie as well is Agent Fields (Gemma Arterton), an MI6 consulate in Bolivia. Do keep an eye as there is a scene which mimics the one in Goldfinger. Judi Dench returns with a wonderful performance as M, who seems to be watching over 007 almost maternally, and Bond even confirms it in a line during the movie.

Like most Bond flicks, the adventure takes us to more exotic locations, and a nice touch was the way each location were spelled out with fancy typefaces that match the features of the country. The movie is action-packed from start to end, with Bond chasing baddies on rooftops, through sea, air, and pretty much every angle you could think of. It is almost as if the movie makers had a serious case of envy over the Bourne trilogy and tried to make Bond a furious killing machine.

Gone is the suaveness of 007, replaced by a man with inconsolable rage which sees him kill almost every lead to the case, leaving most clues at a dead end, something a good detective should never do (and makes M furious of course!).

He is also after the notorious Mr.White, who is responsible for Vesper’s death. The mess of emotions running in his mind is perhaps the reason why Bond is so vicious this time around and not a man of many words. It’s almost as if the essence of Bond is lacking, along with his humour.

Craig is excellent as Bond, but the amount of action leaves him lesser room to showcase his acting skills. Agent 007 didn’t even get to introduce himself as “Bond, James Bond” this time around.

Quantum of Solace is by no means a disappointment. It only appears so because Casino Royale was perhaps one of the best-made Bond movies of late. Action dominates over storyline this time around, and with a shorter running time of below two hours, it’s more like a sequel that seeks answers rather than a whole new Bond adventure. The number of thrills in this movie is something not to be missed by action-lovers. Just make sure you catch Casino Royale first in order to enjoy it fully.

3 out of 5 Stars