QUANTUM OF SOLACE

"I don't think the dead care about revenge"

Bringing in Mr. White (Christensen) for questioning, James Bond (Craig) and M (Dench) discover that he is part of a much bigger organisation with people and influence everywhere. With the connection leading back to the boyfriend of his dead lover Vesper and the mysterious organisation pulling his strings, Bond decides to chase down every lead but with him leaving a trail of bodies in his wake, the British Government and the CIA believe he is being driven by revenge. M has other ideas however, as he is uncovering how deep the organisation goes, with environmental industrialist Dominic Green (Amalric) pulling the strings in Bolivia. Now it up to Bond to control his feelings and focus on bringing Green in.

After restarting the Bond franchise with 'Casino Royale', Daniel Craig returns as 007 to continue the story but will the continued new approach still appeal to the die hard James Bond fans?

In 2006 the most successful action franchise in movie history started again with a new lead actor and a new approach. The man who had made some of the most financially successful films of the series, Pierce Brosnan, had been replaced by a younger, rougher character actor in the shape of Daniel Craig and the franchise returned to the start of the British agent's career with the adaptation of Ian Fleming's first novel 'Casino Royal' but this was a very different James Bond than fans were used to. In what was considered a response to the success of the 'Bourne' movies, who approached the spy genre with a vivid realism that did away with the slightly over the top style of the Brosnan era, 'Casino Royale' injected realism into Bond, meaning the gadgets, the over the top villains and grandiose lairs had to go. The fans response was positive but can a second adventure in this style still appease the fans?

For the first time in the series, this is the first direct sequel to a Bond movie. 'Quantum of Solace' picks up just after Bond, James Bond had announced himself to Mr. White and flows into a relentless hunt by Bond to find the people behind Vesper's portrayal. With the Government thinking he has gone rouge and the CIA seeing him as a hindrance to their interests in Bolivia, Bond has to call on some old and new allies to help him discover who is pulling the strings. This challenging, driven approach to storytelling pushes a very serious Bond and one that is still very different to the man created by Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan and especially Roger Moore, which might not go down well with fans who hoped that Daniel Craig's second adventure would introduce a few more familiar aspects from the franchise.

With no Q branch, Miss Moneypenny and most importantly humour, this is another darker approach to Bond. Daniel Craig's 007 is still learning his trade and because this is a continuation of the storyline set up in 'Casino Royale', we are still seeing Bond become a 00. What 'Quantum of Solace' does is show Bond becoming much more than a blunt instrument and this gives Daniel Craig the chance to show a deeper side to the noticeably hurt Bond, after the portrayal of Vesper. You can see the growth in the character and the maturity shown by Craig throughout the film and into its finale, defining Bond and showing his development into the secret agent we know.

While Bond development is clear, the development of the mysterious organisation behind Mr. White, Le Chiffre and Dominic Green seems to take a backseat to Bond's growth. While this is all well and good, with it been obvious that this is going to be covered in later movies as part of the continuing story but it does leave you with too many questions unanswered after two movies, much the same as the introduction of SPECTRE during the Connery era but a lot slower. The main reason for this the inclusion of some many action scenes.

The action sequences come quick and fast throughout the duration of the movie to the determent of the advancement of the story. With chase sequence following chase sequence, the action is relentless with Daniel Craig excelling and revelling in doing most of his own stunts. With producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson employing the stunt team responsible for the 'Bourne' franchise, this is another change for Bond, with the action and visual style now been very reminisant of the Matt Damon movies, which isn't always a bad thing but in some cases the closeness of the camera doesn't give the action as big as an impact as it could have.

With Daniel Craig excelling again as James Bond, his supporting cast have to be up to the same high level. Dame Judi Dench returns as M, with another fine performance as the MI6 boss with difficult decisions to make. Jeffrey Wright is also back as Felix Leiter, having a slightly bigger role but still not fulfilling the characters potential. 'Quantum of Solace' also has two Bond girls, one played by up and coming British starlet Gemma Atherton and the other played by Olga Kurylenko. Atherton's role is the smaller one, as consulate officer Ms. Fields who makes an impression on Bond. It is Olga Kurylenko who plays a very different Bond girl and one that might just not end up in 007's bed. She is an up and coming actress who made a big impact with her appearance in 'Hitman' and now, with Camille she has created a character that helps Bond in his own growth and could be just as influential as Vesper. Mathieu Amalric performance as environmental industrialist Dominic Green, who has another more sinister agenda, is one that needed a little more screen time to be more effective but he is still a decent villain to push the story along.

'Quantum of Solace' develops the story of what makes James Bond a 00. While some fans will still lament the lack of the gadgets, Q, Moneypenny and the one-liners that they loved during the Moore and Brosnan eras but this is the Bond that Ian Fleming created and one that is becoming the ultimate secret agent.

PICTURE & SOUND

The Blu-Ray disc presents the movie in High Definition wide screen 2:40 up to 1080p, with Dolby TrueHD 7.1 surround sound, highlighting the excellent action sequences and the luscious locations around the world.

BONUS FEATURES

Music Video 'Another way to Die' (4.30 mins/High Definition)
Watch the full music video for the twenty second Bond theme, performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys.

Bond on Location (24.45 mins/High Definition)
Director Marc Foster, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, production designer Dennis Gasser and stars Daniel Craig, Mathieu Amalric, Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Atherton take you to Panama, Mexico, Chile, Austria and Italy for the shooting of 'Quantum of Solace'.

Start of Shooting (2.45 mins/Standard Definition)
Director Marc Foster, producer Michael G. Wilson and star Daniel Craig talk about starting the twenty-second James Bond adventure.

On Location (3.14 mins/Standard Definition)
Director Marc Foster, producer Michael G. Wilson and stars Daniel Craig and Gemma Atherton talk about filming in Panama, Mexico, Italy and at Pinewood Studios.

Olga Kurylenko and the Boat Chase (2.14 mins/Standard Definition)
Director Marc Foster, stunt coordinator Gary Powell and stars Daniel Craig and Olga Kurylenko talk about the exhilarating boat chase sequence.

Director Marc Foster (2.45 mins/Standard Definition)
Producer Michael G. Wilson and stars Daniel Craig, Gemma Atherton and Olga Kurylenko talk about working with director Marc Foster. The Music (2.36 mins/High Definition) Composer David Arnold and performers Jack White and Alicia Keys talk about the music and theme song for 'Quantum of Solace'.

Crew Files (45.30 mins/High Definition)
Introduced by producer Michael G. Wilson and following Panama location manager James Grant and Panama extras casting Ana Endora, these blogs give you an insight into the hard work that the crew do for the production of a huge budget blockbuster.

Theatrical and Teaser Trailers
Watch the previews of 'Quantum of Solace' that promoted the movie in theatres and online.

Previews
Watch trailers for 'The Day the Earth Stood Still', 'Valkyrie' and 'Australia'

OVERALL

The Blu-Ray treatment for 'Quantum of Solace' is a little disappointing and makes you think that there will be a collectors edition when the next Bond movie is released. The featurettes are good but the lack of a commentary and any featurettes that are off a decent length that cover the writing of the story is disappointing. The film itself looks fantastic in high definition however but Bond fans could be disappointed with this release.

BLU-RAY

Casino Royale

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2008