You’ve seen the Sony HD ads with flying projectiles dramatically slowed down, repeatedly hit the cooler than ice and immaculately dressed quintessential British spy, eliciting hardly a flinch from his scarred face.

Yes. After 21 movies and 12 novels, the character of James Bond, created by the late author Ian Fleming some 55 years ago, continues to intrigue as he returns in Quantum of Solace. He’s the one who has inspired a slew of spies and their movies, from the Jason Bourne and Mission Impossible series to the Austin Powers and Johnny English spoofs. The one you’d find driving (and crashing) his sleek-looking ride on the roads; the one who’d fly after the baddies over rooftops, bleed but never get killed by the rain of bullets; and the one who lands the women, a number of whom have thinly disguised sexed up names like Pussy Galore.

Agent Double-0-7 dives into yet another action-packed Bond film, this time with ruffled feathers and a nasty bone to pick.

The Gala Premiere Party

In a manner amusingly reminiscent of the secret service agent himself (save for the protruding spikes on his head), this UrbanWire reporter reached the outside atrium of The Cathay Cineplex at precisely 7:30pm on November 1, donned in chic Bond-like attire.

A few snapshots of the gleaming Aston Martin DBS, the same model as the one Bond drove in the film, followed in quick succession, before he was ushered into a waiting area, where he was being served Bond’s revered on-set cocktail, the Black Martini – shaken, not stirred.

As the stream of invited socialites and brand ambassadors to Omega (a partner of the film) made their entrances, the Caucasian emcee kick-started the party into motion, carrying out the “Free The Bond Girl” event, challenging participants to come upstage to free a pretty maiden of her ropes in the shortest time.

The fingers diddled about a little bit more before the true stars arrived. A convoy of 10 Aston Martin vehicles driven by members of Singapore’s Aston Martin Owners Club made their collective presence rightfully felt at the outside atrium.



To say the effect was hypnotic was an understatement. It took a few knocks from a nearby acquaintance to remind us of the movie to be screened. We joined the many pairs of eyes already transfixed on actor Daniel Craig’s second movie as the man with a license to kill.


The Plot

Closely following the events to the Bond prequel, Casino Royale, the opening credits erupt in a display of classic Bond-action, as our man escapes to Siena from Lake Garda in Italy, shaking off pursuit from the henchmen of White (Jesper Christensen), who had stolen his winnings from the poker game in Montenegro, now tucked away in his Aston Martin’s boot.

Bond reaches the MI6 safehouse to his waiting boss, M (Judi Dench) to haul White in for interrogation about the Quantum organisation, only to have her personal bodyguard, Craig Mitchell (Glenn Foster) turn the tables on them. A brief cat-and-mouse ensues, where the rogue agent is killed off.

Investigations take Bond in Haiti to finish off Mitchell’s contact, Edmund Slate (Neil Jackson). We then see the Bond girl, Olga Kurylenko, make her debut as Camille Montes, a Russian-Bolivian woman also out for blood.

Bond appears indifferent, but later saves her from the clutches of Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), the main villain (also a member of Quantum) alongside General Medrano (Joaquin Cosío), who was responsible for the deaths of Camille’s parents.

Our man then stalks Greene to Lake Constance, Austria, where members of Quantum have gathered discreetly at a performance to plan a Bolivian coup for the general. Bond interrupts the discussion, provoking a gunfight that gets another potential lead killed.

Bond makes it back to Italy on boat despite M’s passport and monetary restrictions, and travels with his old friend, Rene Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) to La Paz, Bolivia. Unexpected “help” arrives in the form of Strawberry Fields (Gema Arterton), an MI6 operative sent to ship Bond home.

They make it to the fund-raiser held by Greene, where Camille resurfaces. Bond attempts a stylish exit after a brief exchange of words, but ends up getting Rene gunned down by the local police.

Bond and Camille then work together to probe details on Greene’s desert acquisition, but their hired plane is shot down. The duo, landing in a sink hole, then uncover Greene’s devious plot to cause a local drought by trapping the fresh water supply.

Returning to La Paz, Bond finds M, along with Fields, now drowned in a pool of oil. He defies the order to disarm, and under a tip-off from another old CIA ally, Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), sets out again with Camille for the climatic showdown in the middle of the Bolivian desert.


Cast

Daniel Craig has done well in portraying a Bond that’s emotionally injured, betrayed but nevertheless hell-bent on correcting the wrongs over the reeling loss of his one true love, Vesper Lynd (Eva Green). His cold-steel gruffs to the people around him hint at his anticipation of using his spy work to hunt down the ultimate people responsible for her death.

The end result somewhat puts a blot on the stereotypically cool and smooth antics of his predecessors, but definitely show a more humane element that audiences can better relate to.

Dame Judi Dench reprises her role as M, and also focuses her energies well on bringing out a strict superior who tries repeatedly to arm-wrestle the inexperienced Bond back to his ethical obligations of only dealing with the world’s evils. However, the same character is not unsympathetic to her subordinates’ inner emotions, and allows a bit of leeway even when he steps way out of line.

There is also a greater element of independence in Olga Kurylenko’s Bond Girl role of Camille. Like Craig, she radiates an rugged disposition, and may perhaps be one of the rare instances of a strong Bond eye candy portraying a character motivated by her individual agenda.


Evaluation

Quantum of Solace may be a large turn-off to fans who look forward to the innovative gadgets and weaponry deployed by Q (think in-vehicle mounted machine guns and handphones with deadly electric currents) as in previous installments, but it scores on its content, although some may argue about the realism of certain intricate details (such as the likes of Bond going against an environmentalist).

Beyond the obvious, the film has its fair share of adrenaline-pumping scenes. The added incentive comes in the high drama and the raw emotion that fuels the movie’s overall plot development.

As much as our hero is deeply affected by his past and struggles to keep his selfish ambition in check, his impartiality and commitment to duty still remain an incorruptible bottom line. It’s indeed an admirable trait for a man with such power to possess.

The only real downside of the movie is probably a puzzling and inconclusive ending, which was a letdown in comparison to its sharp opening. We at UrbanWire can only deduce that it’ll be a couple more years before we get to see White and his cronies again.


UrbanWire gives Quantum of Solace 3.5 out of 5 stars.


Movie Details:

Rating: PG (Parental Guidance)
Runtime: 106 min
Language: English
Director: Mark Foster
Cast: Daniel Craig, Mathieu Amalric, Olga Kurylenko,Gemma Arterton, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini, Judi Dench
Date of Release: Nov 5


(Credits: Movie thumbnail taken from wallpapers at 007.com; Movie poster, event pictures and movie stills courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing International)