Quantum of Solace: Movie Review

Daniel Craig as James Bond continues to rank at the top of my list of favorite Bonds, right next to Sean Connery. He plays Bond like no one else, and I certainly saw that in Mr. Craig's first James Bond movie, Casino Royale, which is the highest grossing James Bond movie ever made - for good reason.

Quantum of Solace is the second movie in which Daniel Craig plays the famous spy. The characteristic of Quantum that sticks out in my mind the most is the incredible level and frequency of stunts, explosions, and crashes. The action is nearly non-stop with great fights, cars falling off cliffs, an excellent real-action scene starring speedboats, and driving that will make you close your eyes.

There are literally twice as many stunts in Quantum as there were in Casino. Daniel insisted on doing most of them himself. And he has the bruises to show for it. He has eight stitches, part of a finger missing, and a shoulder injury to show for his excellent stunt work. Daniel himself says that Casino Royale "seemed like a walk in the park compared to (Quantum of Solace)".

In fact, were it not for Mr. Craig, Quantum might have well bitten the dust early on. For me, the near-constant fights, bombings, and car crashes overshadowed the plot and frankly, I had a bit of a hard time keeping up with what was going on. Even in the stunts, quick cuts blurred what was happening. Here is where Casino Royale excelled over Quantum. In Casino, the plot was much clearer and the stunts weren't quite so over-the-top.

One thing you can always count on in a James Bond movie is that the scenery will be great. As a matter of fact, this is one reason I like the series. In this, the 22^nd movie, the cities and countryside of Haiti, Austria, Italy, and South America grace the set. I found myself distracted from time to time, just gazing at the scenery.

Brand new in Quantum of Solace is that in all James Bond movies so far, this is the only one that picks up where the last one left off. At the end of Casino Royale, Bond's girlfriend Vesper dies. Vesper was more than a casual love interest for Bond, and he is consumed by vengeance in Quantum as he hunts down the villains responsible for her death.

Although Quantum is a little less well done than Casino due to an overwhelming abundance of stunt scenes, it is still worth seeing just for seeing Daniel Craig in action, if nothing else. His steely blue eyes and hard body just won't quit. Add to that his quiet intensity, dry sense of humor, and sexual playfulness and what's not to love?