Quantum of Solace is Daniel Craig’s second outing as James Bond, after a successful entry into the character in Casino Royale. The discussion around Craig’s inadequacies for the role was dismissed shortly after audiences and critics gave the blonde Bond the red carpet treatment. His rogue appearance and brutal action redefined the finesse of Brosnan, while retaining the elements that make the character so famous. However, Quantum of Solace is a different kind of Bond. The film is named after one of Ian Fleming’s short stories, but doesn’t rely on anything other than the title. With Marc Forster and Paul Haggis at the helm, you’d expect anything but conventional. The franchise must’ve been impressed with the neo-Bond known as Jason Bourne, since they modelled much of the action sequence style on The Bourne Ultimatum with Matt Damon. This was probably the result of hiring Dan Bradley, whose action shooting paralleled the Bourne series, but flew in the face of the traditional Bond franchise “clean punch and clear shot” phenomenon. Craig’s rogue Bond now has the brutal killer instinct of a real operative, and the multi-directional, flurry of action as associated with Jason Bourne. The franchise decided to turn Bond on his head, by introducing a different type of Bond and allowing the finesse to come through in the direction. Forster directed The Kite Runner and Bond’s saga has the same grit and appreciation for natural and cultural beauty. Even the location tags give one a flavour of the place they denote. London is represented by a cold, formal, tombstone slab, as a sedan rushes over it. While other locations are equally representive in terms of font style.
Daniel Craig doesn’t want to just be another Bond, and he seems intent on being more introspective. On the surface of things, everything seems to be in place. The fast cars, women, high-speed chase sequences, evil nemesis and cocktail parties echo Bond. However, the main impression is that Quantum of Solace is trying to break free of its Bond shackles. For instance: the classic Bond title sequence is sung by two people, the Bond crosshair to blood introduction is saved for the credits, the action is influenced by the Bourne series, the writers give Bond emotional vulnerablity, he’s following a personal agenda, he doesn’t have fancy gadgets, the light dash of dry humour is downplayed, the arch-rival is not quirky or eccentric, the henchmen are indistinct, the elaborate plot to overthrow the world is localised, the film features red herrings, Bond doesn’t get sexually involved with the leading lady and the list goes on…
Quantum of Solace is a rebellious Bond installment, which has a talented ensemble of writers and director trying to showcase their worth. The overriding plot seems to be there to provide a sense of continuity and progress as Bond works through his emotional condition. He’s unstable, rampant and on-the-loose as the political criminal organisation tries to remain undercover and M (Dame Judi Dench) tries to shorten the leash. Forster and Haggis promote Bond’s disposition ahead of the plot, and try to give James Bond, what Christopher Nolan did for Batman. Bond has always been a sign of the times, and Quantum of Solace is no different. This is a thinking man’s Bond, which requires a bit of leg work to keep up with the story. This warrants a second viewing, although some may find the fragmented plot difficult to comprehend. This could be attributed to a strict duration policy and a long-awaited Director’s Cut or perhaps the team of writers were averse to spoonfeeding their audience.
The performances are strong with Craig harnessing more raw power, Dame Judi Dench taking a larger portion of screentime, Matieu Almalric (The Diving Bell & The Butterfly) relishing a wider audience and Olga Kurylenko (Hitman) featuring as the femme fatale in yet another action blockbuster. The film starts off with very little to distinguish itself in the James Bond 007 franchise. This intial impression is blown out of the water as one gets to grips with a subversive take on the stereotype character. Each facet has elements that are instantly recognisable as distinctly Bond, but seems to fracture as the movie unfolds. The pendulum doesn’t swing to the other side, but seems to oscillate on verge prodding the traditional Bond without divorcing itself from the entire franchise. It seems that this Bond is seeking its very own Quantum of Solace, isolating, alienating and reinventing itself from start to finish.
The bottom line: Rebellious.
