Quantum of Solace (2008)

Director: Marc Forster

Starring: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathiu Amalric, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, Gemma Arterton, Jeffrey Wright

More info: IMDb

Plot: Seeking revenge for the death of his love, secret agent James Bond sets out to stop an environmentalist from taking control of a country's valuable resource.

My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again? Yup.

Again, I'm there opening night. After the home run that preceded it, I was primed for more greatness. Like everyone I attended the theater with, I was shaking my head after it was all over wondering WTF. That was then and it's been this long since I gave it another chance. Initially, I felt the opening car chase and a later fight scene were too quickly edited with that shitty shaky cam thing. It must have been seeing it on the big screen that did it 'cause watching it at home, it was much more restrained than I remember. Hmmm.


Another beef, which I still have, is the inclusion and portrayal of Strawberry Fields. The only purpose she served was eye candy (which wasn't necessary) and to die. I was definitely on board with her dying but the homage to the Golden Girl in GOLDFINGER (1964) was too much. Oh, and then there's the line by M where they found oil in her lungs. Really? How would they know? She's lying on her stomach on a white bed. She's covered in oil but the bed doesn't look like it's been touched. How the hell did they determine that? I know, I'm looking far too into it but still, ya know?


Then there's the climax in that unusual hotel in the desert. The location was too contrived and too much of a throwback to the older films (which, pre-Brosnan, worked). And that song. That horrible fucking song by Jack White and Alicia Keyes. Who the hell thought this was a good idea? I kind dug the credit sequence but that song. Damn! I was hoping that it might get a little easier to take the second time around but no. Hell, no.

On that opening Friday night I would have given this one about a 6 but now that I've seen it again with the passage of time, it's much better than I remembered. Some of my initial gripes still hold true but, overall, it's a pretty good Bond flick. Besides, CASINO ROYALE (2006) is an incredibly tough act to follow. And for what it's worth, I recently watched these two films back to back. It is possible that QUANTUM played better this time because of it. Regardless, it didn't deserve the initial trashing I gave it.