Quantum of Solace

Rated R

Two years ago, the blue-eyed, blonde-haired Daniel Craig transcended the controversy of his selection to portray James Bond in the franchise reboot Casino Royale. Not only did he exceed expectations, but with just one turn in the role he quickly ascended to the upper echelon of popular Bonds with Sean Connery.

So was it a fluke? Bite your tongue if you said so. Craig’s 007 is back in Quantum of Solace, the first direct sequel in the franchise’s 22-film history. The film picks up hours after the final scene in Royale with Bond following the trail of the mysterious terrorist organization in the previous film. This, of course, is just the front for his real motive: revenge for the death of Vesper Lynd, the woman that made Bond . . . well, Bond.

Because of the nature of this being a direct sequel, this is a revenge film first and foremost. The plot is heads above most any previous 007 flicks (save for Royale) as it continues to dive into the psyche of Bond and not just the libido. However, director and franchise newcomer Marc Forster (Stranger Than Fiction, Finding Neverland) combines his roots in dramatic narrative with his previously untested abilities in action filmmaking. What we get is by far an even more brutal Bond than we saw last time around, with even more action than Craig’s first turn. Forster has done an excellent job maintaining the visual aesthetic developed by Martin Campbell (director of Royale) while still adding his own flair, so watching these two films back-to-back seems nearly seamless. The one downside to Forster’s touch is that more than one fight sequence will remind you of The Bourne Ultimatum. This is mostly a compliment considering the difficulty of making shaky-cam fights effective, but when it comes to Bond, the brute force of Craig seems better presented through more distant and less dizzying points of view.

Mathieu Amalric does a fantastic job as the film’s primary target, Dominic Greene. It’s a shame his role didn’t come along in Casino Royale as it was certainly nice to see a bad guy who still isn’t “in charge” of the sinister goings-on, but he still delivers a more dominating personae than La Chiffre did last go around.

If you felt the previous Bond entry perfected the franchise genre but needed more action, this film is just for you. On the other hand, if a two-and-a-half hour narrative with just a handful of action sequences was the perfect blend, well . . . Quantum of Solace may only be the second best Bond film in the character’s 46-year history. Either way, Craig’s 007 continues to prove why nobody does it better.

? shawn michael robbins