Bond..perhaps not the way you remember him

Quantam of Solace, if not remembered for being perhaps the most oddly titled James Bond movie in history, will undoubtedly be noted as the departure of the Bond character we have come to know throughout the course of 22 films. The 21st century “blonde bond” finds himself a far cry from the womanizing, boozing, double O agent most of us remember. Instead we find a bond who is conflicted, walking the tightrope between vengeance and justice blindly, leaving his martini “shaken, not stirred” for…gasp. Draft beer! It’s a character that makes screenwriter Paul Haggis appear as though he is trying to ride the wave of success formulated by such recent characters as Jason Bourne and Bruce Wayne. It’s not nearly as good as the previous installment Casino Royale, but it’s a chapter that will fit entertainingly into the impressive James Bond canon.

Picking up immediately where the last film left off, James bond is tormented by the betrayal and death of his former lover. Trying not to let the event make his next mission a personal one, Bond sets out to uncover the truth behind a dangerous organization that is willing to use blackmail and extortion to outwit the MI6 agency. Bond travels to Haiti where he meets the lovely Camille, and stumbles across a ruthless businessman named Dominic Greene, who is known only as a ringleader in the dangerous crime organization “Quantam”. Soon the truth about Greene and his plans to hoard one of the earth’s most valuable resources is uncovered. Along the way, Bond’s character will be tested, and his future in the agency will be put in jeopardy.

The film moves along at a brisk pace with plenty of familiar looking car chases and hand-to-hand combat scenes. The action here is nothing new, and is nowhere near as breathtaking as some of the elaborate sequences explored in Casino Royale. The real gimmick this time around is about the inner turmoil of Bond’s psyche. He is an agent tormented by revenge, and the murky pool of his own squalid emotions. It’s territory that has virtually been unexplored in Bond films until now, and is admittedly not always as fun to watch as the schmoozing debonair of the James Bonds’ before him. The sultry Daniel Craig reprises his role here, and ladies will be pleased to know that he does not disappoint. Using the less is more take on the character, Bond is an enigma with little to say but clearly much to be explored in coming installments. The reviews for the film are already mixed, and time may only reveal that I am in the minority of people who had a good time watching it. It may be that I am a sucker for Hollywood, or that my irresistible man crush on Daniel Craig is clouding my judgment, but this bond, all though nothing like the ones before it, makes me curious to see how this character will continue to develop.

3/5