There once was a time when you could open a newspaper (for those younger members of our generation, go to wikipedia for a definition of newspaper), turn to the Arts section on a Friday, and look to the reviews of movies for actual guidance. Not just the random opinions of a handful of pseudoelitists, but passionate, articulate, well-written reviews that properly excite you about movies that should cause excitement and dissuade you from seeing chaff. This was the heyday of Pauline Kael, Gene Siskel, and Elvis Mitchell.
Long gone are those times. Now, there are more Roepers of the world, people who fell into the world of film review and think it's just about saying what you thought of the work. There are a few people still around trying to keep the old art of criticism alive, but they are far and few between.
Which leads to this week's review, Quantum of Solace.
QOS is the awaited follow-up to Bond 21, the renaissance of Bond, Casino Royale. If you haven't seen that small gem, in brief, Daniel Craig made his debut as the spy, earning his double-0 status in the first scene and cruising along from there. In the effort to bring down a rogue known as Le Chiffre, he discovers there is a group out there, more powerful than previously suspected, powerful enough to both trick Bond and steal his love, Vesper Lynd.
The action in Solace picks up from there, quite literally. Bond is being chased by "the enemy" as I will call them (the name SPECTRE hasn't yet been mentioned), his Aston-Martin weaving in and out (and against) traffic through the Austrian mountainside. Our view is chaotic, dizzying, with flashes from Bond's car to the enemy, from the road and back. Though our view is chaotic, Bond certainly is not. Dear reader, fear not - this is still James Bond, the man in control. He slides smoothly through this scene (even when the car gets smashed by a semi), getting where he needs to be.
Once there, he reveal his cargo - Mr. White, one of the "generals" of this new organization, the key to understanding it and finding the solace Bond needs with regard to Vesper. White quickly reveals the most critical aspect of this group - they are everywhere, as M's personal bodyguard tries to dispatch Bond, M, and the rest of MI6 that is present there. Another chase ensues, with an expected conclusion.
Bond keeps his wits about him, tracking other links to Haiti, where he finds a new cast of characters - Camille (Olga Kurylenko), the femme for this Bond entry, sharp with a gun but blinded by vengeance, and Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), the CEO for an eco-friendly corporation that has surprising interests in Bolivian politics and the desert. Following him, Bond finds the meeting of this new cabal - linking into virtually every major government and economy on the planet. This is truly bigger than MI6 could have imagined, leading even to attempts to silence Bond, from within the British government and by the CIA.
Bond is forced to continue the case independently, finding help from an old friend, Matthis (Giancarlo Giannini, in a pleasant revisit) as they go to Bolivia. They are greeted by Fields (Strawberry Fields per the credits, played by British starlet Gemma Arterton is a role on par with Plenty O'Toole - entertainingly useless), who is to turn them around. Instead, after a brief interlude, Bond continues his chase - he finds Camille again, and we learn her backstory (the daughter of a Bolivian official, she seeks revenge against the Bolivian general who seeks Greene's support in a coup). The pair looks for Greene's real goal - instead of oil, as the Brits and the CIA expect to find, Bond finds the one resource more important:
Water. Greene and the cabal aren't looking to control the world's energy; they are looking to control its lifesource. The film continues in the expected way, which I will leave to your pleasurable viewing experience, with a conclusion that might allow Bond to begin to find his solace.
For the film as a whole, it is of quite high quality. The script by Haggis and Purvis, when given its moments, moves seamlessly. There are no real jarring leaps, the dialogue is well-understood without having to lay out every detail. Forster's hand as director is steady - able to remember that this is an action film (yes, every Bond movie is an action film) but it is a film with a soul (every good Bond film should have some gravity as well). As a result, the action is good but not meant to be the star (as opposed to the (literally) vomit-inducing Bourne Ultimatum or the slipshod CG in Die Another Day). At the same time, the scenes with sentiment are thoughtful without being campy or contrived.
I will state I had my fears on these last parts. In the first 15 minutes, we're faced with a series of chases a la Bourne. In fact, one of the AD's was hired because of his experience in the running shaky-cam effect of the Bourne series. If not reined in, this film could have been another forgettable action run, but Haggis/Purvis/Forster had the sense to remember the spirit of Bond.
As for the acting, bravo's all around. Craig puts together another solid run at the character. Brooding, yes - but wouldn't you if the person in whom you had faith betrayed you while sacrificing herself for you? This Bond is definitely not the Moore Bond of the 70's and 80's. There is no childlike glee here. Some critics argue there is no panache left; take one look at his style, his confidence, his bedding of Miss Fields in 5 minutes, and you will see the panache. But this smooth-talking is harnessed for use, in the steadfast drive that is vengeance and loyalty built upon guilt and the need for answers. This is the Bond that should have followed Lazenby's turn in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, for obvious reasons.
For the other roles, Dench repeats as M, with a strong if expected role. Kurylenko plays Camille with heat (even though the character is a little underserved with its somewhat trite storyline) that even Bond can't control. Two quick but appreciated roles are by Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, in a bitter yet fun role, and Giannini as Mathis, a great revisit that makes us and Bond wonder if this is how spies end up - never retiring, always looking for that next case.
To the critics who think this isn't Bond - go back and watch the good Bond flicks. Is this the Bond from For Your Eyes Only, all glib and self-serving? No, and thank goodness for that. Is this the Bond for the modern age? I hope so.
Go see it. Just secure your martini while you watch it - it needs be shaken only once.
2 comments:
Thanks for posting! Bree and I literally just stepped out of the theater, and opinions were mixed. I thought the first-time action stylings of Forster were very Bourne-esque, and thought the plot was workable (unfortunately reminiscent of Sahara in so many ways), but that too much camp was unnecessarily thrown in (Why all the Minority Report hand-waving computer garbage? A bunker made of highly combustible fuel cells? Really?). That being said, I liked it better than Bree, who thought the villain lacked a gimmick (which is true) and that the absence of said gimmick was missed (which is debatable).
You're all wrong about QoS. From its terrible action scenes to its incomprehensible pacing and editing, Qos must go down as one of the worst Bonds ever (Moore excepting). Where is the humor, the suaveness, the sex (the girl in the mac looks like she's waiting for a sexual harassment counsellor, not just been f*d by 007)? Craig looks, and acts, like a mug or a bouncer. His pouting expressionless visage isn't cool or hard, just boring. His stunts are breathless but unexciting and his dialogue stern and puritanical. Bond needs to at least share some of the humour of the situation with his audience. I could go on. I don't hanker after the Bonds of old but this latest outing shows that apeing Jason Bourne will not reap the long-term rewards the Brocollis are hoping for.
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