Quantum of Solace

We're now at the point in this James Bond journey where this will technically be my last "Retro" Review of the series as the remaining two I was able to cover while they were in theaters. 

My thoughts on Quantum of Solace have always been sympathetic as I feel that the vigor of hate against it is misplaced. Especially having watched the series from start to finish by now, Solace is far from the worst of the series, but more so just a forgettable entry with some shoddy filmmaking. 

Coming off the heels of an "Instant Classic" like Casino Royale was always going to be difficult. I believe the fact that Quantum of Solace wanted to be a direct sequel (pretty much the only one in the series) also hindered it. Instead of feeling like a fully-fledged Bond adventure, it acted as an extended epilogue to the fallout of Royale. 

And while it's not the most impressive of Craig's resume - potentially it's his "worst" - it's probably mid-range in overall ranking from things it does well, even if it won't stick on your mind as long as something like his 1st or 3rd film.

QoS most significant issue - more apparent after a rewatch - is that it's just a bit of an ugly film. Coming off something as spectacular as Royale doesn't help in a lot of ways, but the chasm of exciting action here is gaping and obvious. Right off the bat, we're thrown into an intense car chase (something that was kept from us in Craig's first film) with an Aston Martin racing along a cliffside. Strangely, the choreography of this car chase is thrilling! Some very cool and exciting stuff happens and it continues to build on the theme of Craig's brutality from the first film. But the cinematography and especially its editing are awful, more often than not, leading to a bunch of quick cuts and confusion about what's actually going on. Unfortunately, this theme sticks with the film for its entirety: taking cool action sequences and editing them ad nauseum. And while the action (editing or not) never quite reaches the highs of the series' bests, there's still a lot of worthwhile chases and images. 

"Don't worry. I'll kill the haters for you."

There's also the issue of being the awkward "plot meat" in the sandwich that is the rest of Craig's Bond films. Quantum of Solace is never allowed to stand alone, largely because of the immediate plot threads of its successor that it must resolve, while also setting up the larger organization of SPECTRE. It feels like the middle film of a trilogy (which is always a hard spot to be) between Royale and SPECTRE (even though SPECTRE came after Skyfall). This is never more apparent than our pathetic and uninteresting villain, Dominic Greene. Unlike Tomorrow Never Dies, I suppose actor Mathieu Amalric does "fine" in the role, but the thought of this villain being a tough-guy, much less going up against Craig in the finale, was laughable to me, no matter how brutal they tried to make him through the script. Time has done him no favors, as the villains in other Craig films are often part of the highlights; Amalric's Greene is one of the most forgettable in the series. 

As if a CEO could go toe-to-toe with Bond.

Even still, I found that I enjoyed my time with Quantum of Solace more often than not because I just flat-out love these Craig Bond films. They continue to be free of almost all camp, and combine the suaveness of Bond with the brutality of a Jason Bourne. Craig continues to prove he was perfect for the role, adding more layers than just being "the tough guy", he's emotionally more complex and still hurt from the betrayal and loss of Vesper. With this rewatch I found I really appreciate Olga Kurylenko as Camille who's certainly no "damsel in distress" and fits the role of tough Bond girl well (while also being effortlessly beautiful). Jeffrey Wright continues to be a silent MVP in this series too with limited time as Felix Leiter, Bond's U.S. spy friend. Unfortunately, big names like David Harbour (not big at the time, to be fair) and Gemma Arterton get very little to do, with the latter being so useless to the film, it's a wonder they wasted runtime on it at all.

There are some other bright spots within Quantum of Solace - the original score and a memorable scene at the opera come to mind - but by and large this is just "good" Bond. Part of that is due to the script and its existence as a "bridge" of sorts in the Craig era, but I can't help but feel it could have been very good/great Bond with better filmmaking all around. By no measure though is it "the worst in the franchise" as some have claimed it to be. Did you all forget that Diamonds are Forever and Die Another Day exist?

CONS

• Feels like a "bridge" film stuck between wrapping up Royale and setting up the villain-group SPECTRE
• Dominic Greene is a series-low (or very near it) villain. Totally forgettable, particularly in the Craig era
• Questionable action cinematography and tedious, overdone editing
• Handful of characters that don't get enough to do or seem like they have no point

PROS

• Craig is still excellent as our "brutal" Bond
• Olga Kurylenko and Jeffrey Wright are solid characters (with Wright carrying his over from Royale)
• Action definitely has cool moments, it's just often filmed poorly
• Strong original score with fun flares depending on the location
• Certain plot beats are intriguing (an opera scene comes to mind)

Retro Rath's Review Score | 7/10