Quantum of Solace

Bond is Back (again).

Once you get past the first 15 minutes – a.k.a. The Bond Ultimatum sequence – the latest 007 installment, Quantum of Solace, takes a strong turn toward brilliance and never lets up.

Although I loved the action-packed opening to Casino Royale, with the start of Quantum, director Marc Foster took it a little too far. I’ve never been a fan of that Tony Scott technique of moving the camera as much as humanly possible, leaving a barely discernable series of shots and cuts that makes you nauseous.

After that, though, things vastly improve. Capitalizing successfully on the themes and arcs of the last flick, the writing team, including Paul Haggis, turn out a stellar script. Rife with real emotion and interesting character development, Quantum won’t fail to both entertain and stimulate. There’s real theme here, and the various characters play off each other superbly.

There’s plenty of action and excellent performances by Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini and the rest. There’s real mutual respect and an almost symbiotic relationship between this James Bond and his M, and an interesting look at what can become of someone who has spent his life in the spy game, in Giannini’s Mathis really informs the path our hero might fellow.

Kurylenko as Camille just may be one of the more interesting Bond Girls to date. Her demons and obsession plays well off of Craig’s own brooding, focused, disturbed performance.

All in all a stellar installment in the franchise and one that, once again, deserves some critical and awards attention, if any Bond film ever has. The best part: for the first time in a long time, I didn't once throughout the performance, look at my watch (read: clock on my cell phone).