In Defense of Quantum of Solace (2007)

Hey guys!

So, as many of you already know, I'm a huge Bond fan. I love watching Bond films, reading Bond novels, some of my most played songs on Spotify are James Bond songs, and overall, I just really love everything related to James Bond. The good thing about Bond is that everyone has their favorites, you could put 100 Bond fans in a room and it is an almost certainty that no two Bond fans will have the same ranking of the 007 films. Needless to say, everyone has their own favourite Bond actors, mine is either Daniel Craig or Pierce Brosnan depending on my mood that day.

Given that, I want to say that I love all of Daniel Craig's films. Yes, that includes Spectre and Quantum of Solace, the latter of which often finds itself at the bottom of many a Bond fans' ranking lists. So today, I wish to make my case and defend this much maligned second outing of Daniel Craig's tenure as James Bond.

Without any further ado, let's jump right into it.

Under the Shadow of Casino Royale

The movie picks up directly one hour after the end of Casino Royale, which makes it the first ever film in the franchise to be a direct sequel to its predecessor. All the Bond films before this one, have mostly been stand alone adventures, with tiny references tying them all together. So, this was the first time that a film has picked up directly after another and that makes me love it instantly for trying out something new. The sheer innovation factor is amazing. The initial release date was supposed to even be in 2008, making it the first time in the franchise's history to happen since 1974's The Man With The Golden Gun, which came after 1973's Live and Let Die.

Casino Royale in 2006 was a phenomenal film, it was made by experienced Bond director Martin Campbell, who had also started Pierce Brosnan's Bond tenure in 1995's GoldenEye and now had done the same with Daniel Craig. The film ended on a very sombre note with the death of Vesper Lynd, and her subsequent betrayal of Bond. The film had left Bond devastated, and given him a true lesson in trust and love in his line of work. However, this is James Bond we're talking about... Of course he'll go for revenge. This is what this film encapsulates, Bond's search for the organization that was blackmailing Vesper. For all its flaws, it provides a neat little conclusion to the Vesper Lynd story arc.

Daniel Craig at his best

This film has arguably the best Bond performance by Daniel Craig, or at least his most challenging. While he does a phenomenal acting job in all of his films (except Spectre), I feel this one deserves a special mention. Casino Royale showed the origin of Bond into the man he was to become, hence, I feel that that particular version of the character would be fairly easy to pull of by any action actor, the rough, brutal, attributes, but also the blank expressions while killing and the one liners, everything. Any half-decent young action actor would have pulled off. He exerts that overconfidence and ego that Connery's and Moore's Bond would so normally portray. 

In Skyfall, he plays the experienced, veteran spy that is confident of his own actions, but not so that he completely underestimates the enemy. This Bond reminds me of Dalton or Brosnan, the action oriented spy who also uses his wits to get out of any situation, unlike the rookie in Casino Royale who would prefer to shoot his way of tight spots.

Then comes Quantum of Solace... now why I say that this is Daniel Craig's Bond at his finest is because, while he maintains the novice spy from Casino Royale, we see elements of the smart spy from Skyfall, we see his evolution into Bond, and in that Craig creates his own Bond. He has to show M that he's fit for duty and not hung up over Vesper's death, but at the same time yearning for revenge and the fact that Daniel Craig pulls it off from the opening scene itself and is able to convey the emotion perfectly should be applauded more frequently among Bond fans.

Low Stakes Plan of the Villain

Another very common criticism of Quantum of Solace is that the villain's plan is way too low stakes. The plan goes as follows. Dominic Greene, the head of a world renowned ecological preservation company, wants to stage a coup in Bolivia so that he can gain control over the country's water supply. Now, at first view many would think of this as a low stakes plan, especially after the ludicrous and outlandish plans of some of the other Bond villains. But this criticism very easily falls apart on closer inspection of the plot. 

The plot isn't only about Bolivia's water supply, it's also about looking for the organisation that was blackmailing Vesper. Bond also claims several times that he's looking for the man who had taken a shot at M at the start of the film. It is also about Camille Montes' quest for revenge for the death of her family at the hands of General Madrano, the man Greene wants to put in power in Bolivia. 

Besides all this, water is one of the most important resources in the world, and considering that many parts of Bolivia are under the Atacama desert, if one man gains a monopoly over these water resources, life could become a living hell for millions of people. Just because the plan isn't world ending, doesn't mean it doesn't have any stakes.

Dominic Greene himself

Many people have a problem with Mathieu Almaric as Dominic Greene. Personally, I like the guy as the main villain of the film. He is a lot like LeChiffre in the sense that he's physically inferior to Bond, and has the same twitchy behaviour as LeChiffre. You know that if it ever came to a fist-to-fist fight between Bond and either of them, they wouldn't stand a chance. 

Yet, he is also very different from Le Chiffre. Both men exude a sense of power, but the source of their power is very different. While LeChiffre derives it from his own wits, Greene derives it from the organisation he's a part of. He derives his strength from numbers, all of his dirty work, his henchmen do. 

And also, come on... one cannot help but love his death. Honestly, it is my favourite death in a film ever, despite the fact that it happens offscreen. If you haven't watched the film and don't want this badass moment ruined STOP READING HERE.

In exchange for information on Vesper's killer, Bond promises Greene that he won't kill him. True to his word, Bond doesn't kill Greene. He leaves Greene stranded in the middle of the desert, with nothing but a can of oil to quench his thirst and a parting line "I reckon you'll go 10 miles before you even think of drinking that". Later, M reveals that Greene was found dead in the desert, with two bullets in his head and motor oil in his stomach, the bullets being the courtesy of Quantum for betraying them. When, asked, Bond of course claims that he knows nothing about the motor oil.

RESUME READING HERE

Choppy Editing and Bad Pacing

This is a more common complaint amongst fans, that the editing of the film is way too choppy and it is incredibly difficult to keep track of what's going on in the action sequences. I agree with this, although only half heartedly. The only times I feel the action falters in the editing are in the opening sequence and in the plane chase, both times I find it hard to figure out what's going on on-screen, but at other times, I have no difficulty in following the action. The end fight and showdown between General Madrano and Camille, and Bond fighting Greene are some of my favourite scenes. 

Besides, this was the first time director Marc Forster was making action films, before this, he was known for his drama films like Monster's Ball (2001) and Finding Neverland (2004). As far his first action film goes, this film doesn't do half bad. 

As far as bad pacing goes, yes I agree that the film is incredibly badly paced. There are certain sections of the film that literally drag and certain other points where it's too fast paced, then there's the CIA storyline which doesn't go anywhere, and the incredibly bad lines in the film that feel stocky and out of place, I agree with it all. But the fact that there was a writers' strike in Hollywood during 2007-08, severly crippled production. Given the approaching release date, Daniel Craig and Marc Forster had to write several sections of the script themselves, neither of whome are known for their writing talents. Given that, I think it is perfectly excusable that we got a film as good as Quantum of Solace. 

CONCLUSION

Well, at the end of the day, it is each person to their own. Personally, I really like the film and enjoy it a lot. A way for most people to do that would be to view it as a sequel to Casino Royale rather than a stand-alone Bond adventure, it greatly adds to the overall viewing experience.

Regardless, let me know your thoughts in the comments section below on whether or not you would like to see more Bond content from me. And untill next time, so long!