The 22nd Bond film, Quantum of Solace picks up almost immediately after Casino Royale leaves off. Quantum hits the ground running, opening with a spectacular car chase that sets the non-stop action tempo of the film. Driven by grief and anger, 007 dives recklessly into a quest to topple the mysterious Quantum organization responsible for blackmailing Vespar into betraying him. An assassination attempt against M from inside MI-5 itself pushes Bond further towards the edge, causing even M to question his motivations.
Bond chases down the bad guys on foot, motorcycle, car, plane, and boat, keeping the film flying along at a breakneck pace and delivering some terrific special effects. The foot-chase between Bond and Mitchell, the would-be assassin, offers some of the best cinematography of the film alongside some of the most disappointingly obvious CGI. However, the film more than makes up for its early CGI mistakes with the confrontation at the opera house in Austria. Bond's pursuit of the elusive Quantum members, against the backdrop of Tosca's climactic scene of death and betrayal, is the effects highlight of the film.
Extras:
Early reviews of this film claimed it was all action and little plot, but I'm forced to conclude that viewers who think this simply weren't paying close enough attention. Deftly woven between action sequences, the main plot intersects story lines of changing global political climate, uncertainty in the intelligence communities, and a redefining of patriotism to upholding ideological beliefs rather than borders.
Ultimately however, Quantum of Solace will go down in Bond film history as one of the franchise's best due to a single factor: Daniel Craig. While Casino Royale proved Craig was worthy of the 007 moniker, "Quantum of Solace" shows just how superior a Bond he really is. With less dialogue to work with than most Bond films, Craig manages to thoroughly convince the audience that 007 is an effortlessly superior agent who can move from cold and calculating political maneuvering to smoothly charming women to his bed with one sentence, and on to inspiring allegiance from arch-enemies and rival agents alike. Craig makes Bond believable as an almost super-human agent while at the same time giving the audience the most in-depth insight into 007's emotional makeup since the inception of the character. In one film, Daniel Craig moves from most controversial Bond choice to usurping the formerly unshakable Sean Connery as the best 007 in history!
ComicsOnline gives Quantum of Solace 4 out of 5 big bags of solace.
