'Quantum of Solace' reviewed

"Quantum of Solace" MGM Rating: 2 stars (out of 4)

Avid fans of the Bond franchise, beware - "Quantum of Solace" will certainly be a step in another direction from the Ian Fleming's original image of His Majesty's 007.

Swiss-German filmmaker Marc Foster ("Stranger Than Fiction, The Kite Runner") directs the 45-year-old franchise's first direct sequel to 2006's "Casino Royale," who faces a lot of pressure in living up to the expectations after the immense success of "Royale." While the film features intricate action sequences, the movie falls victim to being just another big-budgeted action flick.

Daniel Craig is back for the second time as James Bond, and while he maintains his image of trotting around the globe in perfectly fitted suits, don't expect the usual English gentlemanly ways from him this time. Craig, who was considered to be the first actor since Sean Connery to be truly fitting to the part, still owns the role, but with a different attitude. This may be an era that is no longer of the tough, yet humorously mischievous Bond, but rather a darker, brooding Bond.

  The first scene picks up right where "Royale" left off - with an intense car chase through the outskirts of Siena, Italy. Unlike most of the Bond films, there is no set mission here. Bond seeks revenge on a personal basis - for the death of Vesper Lynd, the one woman he actually loved but was betrayed by, which is where his "inconsolable rage" kicks in. Bond is assisted by Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko) in battling Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a member of the Quantum organization who feigns as an environmentalist and plans on overtaking Bolivia to take control of its water supply. Judi Dench reprises her role as M, clearly thrown off by Bond's rebellion, but continues to defend his actions as she realizes that ultimately, he's still the agent she will always trust. 

The film is intertwined with chase after chase and killing after killing - the plot almost seems, well, non-existent. Bond is so blinded by rage and revenge, there's even times where his eyes read psychopathic killer. The only part where Bond lives up to his former glory is in a scene at an opera stage in Austria, where members of Quantum gather at a performance of Puccini's "Tosca." Bond slyly intercepts their conversation by obtaining an earpiece, followed by a memorable action sequence interwoven with two acts from the tragic opera, which is easily the best scene due to its immaculate editing.

The film had potential, but "Royale" set the bar too high for it to compete with and falls short in trying too hard to convey a different, but disappointing image of Bond. Fleming gave a vision of Bond and to some extent, directors should stick with it. Perhaps the next installment will hold truer to that ideal.

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