09 November 2008

Quantum of Solace

Disappointment. This is what can be said about the latest installment in Bond series "Quantam of Solace". After an impeccable series reboot in "Casino Royale" which has not only met expectations but has exceeded them, Bond 22 is a rather poor show. A movie which is not worth the money.
 
              The movie picks up right from where it ended in "Casino Royale" with Bond transporting the shad henchman of an unknown organization Mr. White into the hands of Her Majesty's Secret Service incharge "M". And almost from the very first moment, disappointment begins to kick in. Remember the high adrinaline chase during the opening of "Casino Royale"? As Bond chased the bombmaker, the audience panted and sweated. The director has envisoined an equally high adrenaline car chase where Mr. White's sidekicks try and stop Bond from delivering Mr. White. Unfortunately, the vision has been seriously undermined in the photography department. I missed the name of the photographer in the credits but it looked either like he was drunk during the filming or was a complete rookie in terms of camera work. The fundamental judgement of whether to use a long shot or a closeup is completely flawed and the camera jerks as violently as Bond's BMW. All through the movie, I found myself wondering why the camera is so jerky. Less than 20 minutes into the movie, I found myself thinking of a possible explanation for the jerky camera work. First sign that all is not well.
 
               And that is not the end of it. Starting from this moment, the "Quantum" follows the age old bond movie principles to the boot. You know the Bond rules : You need a creepy villain with a plot to takeover the world, a grand-looking-supposedly-secret building which can be demolished in the climax, a character to which the entire plot of the movie will be explained, a lot of exotic technology which you dont find in day to day life. These are the classic Bond movie principles and director Mark Forster follows them to the letter. Not that these rules are bad. But the movie degenerates into a mindless chaos where Bond does some ridiculous things for which there is no explanation. He kills all the witnesses and then goes after a wild goose chase. He sees a girl being killed by the villain and interferes in it for no apparent reason. And what does he do after saving her? He dumps her without gathering any information from her and then chases the villain halfway around the world to find out his plot. Quite contrary to the typical Bond whose loyalty is ultimately with his Queen and his country, Quantum's Bond is loyal to no one but himself and is driven by nothing except his personal vendetta. I can accept this last to be a valid plot device but unfortunately, instead of making his revenge a major plot line, it becomes the sole plot line of the movie with serious defects. For some one who is unable to get over his love, he seduces a girl without a second thought. In a classic homage to Goldfinger, this girl is killed and covered in oil and laid out on Bond's bed.
 
                This sends Bond from fight to fight and from place to place. With the US and the British goverments seemingly oriented with the evil organization, "bedding with anyone" as bond puts it, M freezes Bond's credit cards. And then the true madness starts. Instead of having an action scene to enhance the script, the script seems stitched for the action sequences. It almost feels as if, director has envisioned a set of fights and wrote his story to suit them. With the help of Mathis, the double agent who betrayed him, Bond gets into the thick of the action. Then the conclusion comes almost as suddenly. After some heavy blasts and explosions, Bond emerges victorious. He, though not directly, causes the death of the main villain and audience gather one word from him. "Quantum". It is the name of the operation which the villain has plotted to take over the world. What about "Solace"? We are suposed to imagine that Bond got it when he finally walks away from killing Vesper Lynds Algerian boyfriend and drops her love knot necklace. You leave the movie theater feeling pretty much let down.
 
                Giving credit where it is due, Daniel Craig is as fantastic as he was in the first movie. He has shown Bond with a heart in "Casino Royale". Here, he has changed into a ruthless assassin driven by personal vengence. And any director with half a brain can easily show him off as "Cold, Ironic and Brutal" James Bond in the forthcoming movies. His efforts in the action sequences are visible and impressive. But he is completely let down by almost all other aspects of the movie. Background music blended into the movie and that is good. It is probably the only other thing that worked well. But rest of the movie pretty much falls short of any decent cinegoers expectations.
 
             If this is the kind of movie you get, you don't need the Bond engine for it. Any medium budgeted B grade Bollywood thriller will do. If this is the camera work, the I might as well be the photographer.
 
Rating : 2.5 out of 5.

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