If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to go see the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. And yes, I used the term film and I stand by it. Quantum of Solace is not a movie, despite it’s blockbuster tendencies. With incredible action sequences, gorgeous vistas, and jaw-dropping stunts, it certainly has the trappings of a summer big screen smash. And yet, its the scenes between the action, where Daniel Craig interacts with the various other characters of the film, that truly make this a spectacular piece of cinema.
I found the most compelling moment in the entire film was a brief interlude in which Bond seeks out the aid of a former MI-6 member and sits on his veranda sharing a glass of wine. This presents us with a stunning swatch of the film that appears to have been stylistically lifted directly out of the classic Bond films starring Sean Connery. Costumes, settings, and dialogue all feel timeless and familiar.
Character development is a key factor in Quantum, as it was in Casino Royale. While in Casino, Bond shows quite a range of emotion that humanizes him in short bursts, dehumanization has become key in Quantum. Daniel Craig’s Bond seems to care very little for the lives of anyone he uses through the course of the movie to accomplish his goals. Grim determination is the only emotion portrayed, and it makes viewers care so much more about Bond, because he is something less than human, but still so incredibly interesting to watch.
By the end of the movie, I felt as though I could watch two or three more iterations of this saga and still feel like the character arc had further to go. I highly recommend that if you haven’t seen it yet, seeing it soon. And if you have, to go see it again. Take a friend or two and tell them that they can’t say they’ve seen a James Bond film if they haven’t seen this one. A movie, perhaps, but not a film.
