Cast and Crew Information

Daniel Craig as James Bond
Judi Dench as M
Olga Kurylenko as Camille
Mathieu Amalric as Dominic Greene
Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis
Gemma Arterton as Strawberry Fields
Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter


Written by Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade
Directed by Marc Forster

Premise

Picking up mere minutes after Casino Royale leaves off, we follow Bond on his mission to protect and avenge the women in his life. He does most of this without the approval of MI6, which causes some difficulties for him.

High Point

The action sequence production. Most modern action sequences are loaded with close up shots and lightning fast editing. This results in hyperkinetic sequences of film that feature lots of impacts and explosions, but which also get hard to follow. This used a lot of medium shots and more restrained editing, using actual rapid action to give the impression of rapid action while still allowing the viewer to follow what's going on.

Low Point

This one's very light on story. If you haven't seen "Casino Royale," you might end up quite lost in the conversations explaining why Bond is doing what he's doing. This very literally starts right where the previous movie ended, and does very little in the way of recap. If you haven't watched (or recently rewatched) Craig's first outing as Bond, then you should make a point of doing so before checking this one out.

The Review

I give it originality credit for being the first continuation of a Bond story I've seen, rather than the usual distinct chapter. Aside from that, we've seen it before. I give it 4 out of 6.

The effects were very well done. This is a heavy, heavy action Bond flick, but they hit the mark here. I give it 6 out of 6.

The story is minimal. All of the setup was covered in the last one; this just takes the action sequence at the end of that one and adds another 100 minutes to it. I give it 3 out of 6.

The acting is done well enough for a less than challenging script. I give it 4 out of 6.

The production is excellent. They deliver great action and some excellent cinematography in various world locales, and they do it better than most. David Arnold continues the tradition of original but thematically similar music he started last time. I give it 6 out of 6.

The emotional response is derived almost entirely from the fun action sequences. There's just not enough other stuff left in the movie to engage you in any other way. I give it 4 out of 6.

Overall, it'll easily please fans of Bond action, but those looking for a character defining piece like the last one will be less pleased. I give it 4 out of 6.

In total, Quantum of Solace receives 31 out of 42.