Movie Review: Quantum of Solace

Quantum of Solace is the first direct sequel in the history of the James Bond franchise.  Picking up where Casino Royale left off, Bond is transporting Mr. White in Italy when he is attacked by evil henchmen.  Your basic 007 car chase ensues.  Bond survives and delivers White to M (Judi Dench). The interrogation reveals that White works for a sinister organization called Quantum, which seems to be everywhere. 

In fact, M’s own bodyguard turns out to be a member of Quantum.  Bond kills him but not until he allows White to escape.  007 learns that the bodyguard’s contact lives in Haiti where Bond finds out that Dominic Greene, the head of ecological organization Greene Planet, is also a member of Quantum.  Greene is also the lover of Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenco), the newest Bond-girl.  From her, 007 learns that Greene is helping General Medrano take over Bolivia.

Bond rescues Camille from Medrano and Greene after a boat chase.  He then trails Greene to a private plane in which he flies to Austria, accompanied by CIA agents Gregg Beam and Felix Leiter.  In return for leases to Bolivian oil, Beam offers American support for the overthrow.  He also agrees to eliminate Bond’s interference.

I recommend Quantum of Solace, probably the best action movie in a year of great action movies.  The producers promise a return to “fun” with next Bond film, to be released in 2011, which I welcome strongly.  I hope we will also see the return of Q and Miss Moneypenny, and I hope Quantum will be kept as the evil organization.  An occasional dollop of realism is okay.  But we must remember that the main purpose of the James Bond films is escape.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE.  Genre: Action/Adventure.  Directed by Mark Forster.  Stars:  Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenco, Mathieu Almaric, Judi Dench.  Release date: November 14, 2008.  MPAA rating: PG-13.  Length: 106 minutes.  Lonewolf’s Grade:  A+