Quantum of Molest
iView Author: Saad Nawab (Vadodara, India)
Email: saadnawab [at] gmail [dot] com
I never did agree with Bond films. They never were my cup of tea. Not even the Pierce Brosnan ones. My, were they so over the top. They could work in some alternate timeline, but I’d rather stick to realistic spy thrillers and the most obvious we can talk about is the Bourne trilogy. But enough debate has happened on that front. I didn’t even give Casino Royale a chance and it was only till I watched it on DVD that I thought I missed on something worth a shot. I had issues with it, but it did what it set out and got me hooked to 007, primarily because of Daniel Craig and Martin Campbell. So, I skeptically took a chance and shelled out for Quantum of Solace at my local multiplex. I mean, it has Marc Forster and I admire the guy for Finding Neverland and easily one of the most underrated movies of all time – Stay.
I was robbed, I tell ya.
The reason Casino Royale worked was because it had that gritty tone with a worldly appeal to it. It made you believe that, “Yeah, secret agents running around in third world countries saving the world is plausible”, in the vein of realism. It made Bond step into the post-post-modern world (I dislike post 9/11). There really was no sense in adding more spice to the franchise. This was a self contained formula here. But does Hollywood ever listen to reason. Nope. Quantum of Solace (please don’t mind if I skip the plot as almost everyone is way too familiar) feels more like Bond’s travelogue with Bond hopping from one destination to the other ridding the place of bad guys and leaving a trail of blood. The flick starts nicely with a great car chase. Bond is transporting Mr. White to M for interrogation and the film is getting on great till we meet the antagonist Dominic Greene played by Mathieu Amalric. That’s when things start going haywire and clearly I felt that Amalric’s character didn’t have that corrugated personality that enhances the story. He feels more like some over ambitious middleman biting off more than he could chew. Moving along, Bond saves a girl who betrayed Greene named Camille played by Olga Kurylenko, and hops to another locale with vengeance on his mind. And from there on it’s just like something out of ‘Where in the World Is Carmen San Diego’ with Bond and his agency trying to infiltrate the secret organization hinted in Casino Royale they know nothing about.
You might think I am exaggerating here. It’s like the people involved didn’t know how to cover the gap between the first and (hopefully) third film. So they got together and thought that let’s make it large. Never mind the hollowness of the story and the characters in this one. Large will do just fine. I understand the need for Bond to make this mission personal and he might have the audacity to pull it off but does this guy really need to bleed and get hurt every two minutes. It sets a gritty tone but at the cost of stupidity. And why the hell are the characters of Felix and Mathis underused?
There are some good things about the Quantum though. The cinematography is reeking with dust and cognizance . The fast cut action scenes were an annoyance sometimes. They worked great in some parts and were dizzy in others. Since the film is travelogue location will surely be pretty (duh!)
Daniel Craig carries that mesmerizing 007 attitude playing the part as it should be. I can’t talk about the story as there is hardly any. Director Marc Forster was too busy proving that he could be a great action director and forgot all about what made Casino Royale interesting – the characters disarmed and let loose. They feel more attached to their weapons, downplaying the drama. The ending again leaves a lot to be desired with a lot of what-if questions that the audience will ponder in their heads. Go see for yourself. Don’t expect this film to be a superb addition, just a decent entertainer. The title, Quantum of Solace is great for a Bond flick. The same cannot be said for the whole package.
Tags: James Bond, Quantum of Solace
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Nice review, will be looking forward to seeing the movie for myself.