Coming Soon to Sawtell Cinema
Quantum of Solace
Rating: M Running Time: 1 hrs 46 mins
Commencing: 8th Jan 08
Synopsis:Rating: M Running Time: 1 hrs 46 mins
Commencing: 8th Jan 08
Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, James Bond (Daniel Craig) and M (Judi Dench) interrogate the man Bond captured at the end of Casino Royale - Mr White (Jesper Christensen) - who reveals the organization which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined. In Haiti, a case of mistaken identity introduces Bond to the beautiful but feisty Camille (Olga Kurylenko), a woman with her own vendetta. Camille leads Bond straight to Dominic Greene (Mathieu Almaric), a major force within the mysterious organisation. Bond discovers that Greene, conspiring to take total control of one of the world's most important natural resources, is forging a deal with the exiled Bolivian General Medrano (Joaquin Cosio). As Bond gets closer to finding the man responsible for the betrayal of Vesper, he is made an outlaw by his own MI6.
Review by Louise Keller:
As the final chapter of the Casino Royale story, Quantum of Solace always promised to be somewhat different from the others in the Bond franchise. Picking up where the last one left off is risky as it invites comparisons, despite exotic locations, whopping set pieces, hair-raising stunts, pretty girls, some dry British humour and Daniel Craig as an intense and credible 007 in search of revenge. Hence the film never feels like a complete work, and for that, there is a price to be paid. In short, we are not satisfied. For starters, it lacks the heart Eva Green's Vesper gave the previous film. Like Bond, we miss her. And it rubs against the grain for Ian Fleming's essential character of Bond to be redefined as the screenwriters have done.
The film begins at the highest level of intensity with a frenetically edited car chase sequence in which Bond's Aston Martin kicks up a cloud of dust as it weaves in and out of speeding cars and trucks on perilously narrow, winding roads towards Siena. This is the beginning of a relentless quest for Bond to find some closure for his aching heart. As befitting, the storyline is complex with widespread locations including Brengenz in Austria, where a stunning high-concept plot thread plays out during an extraordinary outdoor performance of Tosca with the Vienna Symphony. We are with Bond all the way as he falters from the rooftops of Siena, keeps from getting wet in a Caribbean speedboat and defies all odds in the deserts of Bolivia.
Craig is a fine James Bond - seemingly as comfortable in a tux sipping his martini as on the action rollercoaster, where risk is obligatory. It is when there is the most at risk that we become most involved - like the scene when Bond pilots a vintage DC2 that is falling fast under serious fire. This is the film's defining moment and the one and only time that we wonder whether he will manage to scrape out of this alive. Villains and heroes become entwined: Mathieu Amalric heads the string of bad guys that play Bond's adversaries but his is not a character we love to hate as we did last time around with Mads Mikkelsen's Le Chiffre with the eye that weeps blood. Olga Kurylenko is appealing but I am not convinced the constant reappearance throughout of the always excellent Judi Dench as M works to the film's advantage; for my money, it interferes with the cumulative tension. As for the anticipated opening Bond credit sequence, it is a fizzle of disappointment as is Alicia Keys and Jack White's theme song.