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Quantum Of Solace is the Best James Bond Film Ever


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#1 HildebrandRarity

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Posted 17 November 2008 - 08:31 PM

Two cents if anyone cares to read it. It's slightly longish. Forgive the grammatical errors in advance. :(




A powerful and moving thriller, Quantum Of Solace is a carefully crafted and thoughtfully executed and edited cerebral near-masterpiece of the series. It is a remarkable film full of parallel story lines, mouth-watering juxtapositions, stark visual contrasts and poetic symmetry which elevates itself far above the capacity of most films in the genre to which it belongs. Though a blockbuster made for the masses, Quantum is the boldest Eon step yet which asks its global audience to come along – brain fully on – for every brave step of its stylish thrill ride. Nearly every choice made exists for a reason.

Cinematically, Quantum is an audio-visual feast for the senses: The outstanding and, at times, mesmeric stunt work and world class performances by the cast are launched off a canvass using a distinctive colour palette of blacks and whites, blues and the warm earth tones of beiges, browns and terra cotta reds. The film is a work of art disguised as a blockbuster and is underpinned and overlaid ably by a scintillating score punctuated by bombastic Bondian brass, rousing strings and percussion as well as thoughtful and reflective woodwind, mandolin and reverbed electric guitar work…with elements of the James Bond Theme peppered throughout.

007

Speaking of James Bond, Daniel Craig as 007 is a tour de force in Quantum, whether he’s killing in self defence or as payback, spying, taunting/drawing out the enemy, making audiences smile or chuckle with countless moments of humour via lines and mannerisms, or cradling allies at death’s door. Not a single James Bond performance comes close to matching what Mr Craig and 007 do on screen. Not in From Russia With Love, not in Casino Royale, not anywhere.

Indeed, there are five outstanding performances in this film: Mr Craig and Dame Judy aside, Giannini as Mathis and Amalric as Greene are outstanding – as you’d expect from stalwarts of European cinema – but the major surprise in Quantum is Olga Kurylenko who is stunning on almost every level.

IAN FLEMING’S CAMILLE MONTES

The twenty-nine year old Ukrainian’s portrayal of Camille is surpassed only by Diana Rigg’s 1969 performance in the Bond Girl stakes and the character – complete with scared back, heart and mind – is based on a recently found Ian Fleming manuscript from a here-to-fore hidden safe at Goldeneye in Jamaica. Fleming had been experimenting with physically and emotionally challenged female characters and Camille is the hub at which the spokes of Milena Havelock, Honeychile Rider and Gala Brand meet. So single-minded is her approach that Eon gives us a first for the series. Indeed, Camille is the only main character from which the abundant humour in the film is wholly absent.

A QUANTUM OF HUMOUR

Contrary to critical opinion, there is a fair quantum of humour on display in Solace. Some of it is ancillary: Note the old Sienese lady losing her day’s groceries from the top of the stairs as Mitchell rushes past, or the hilarity of the old Bolivian taxi driver as Mathis tries talking to Carlos, subtitles over subtitles. Note too Bond’s mannerisms as he tosses aside keys or a cell phone or kicks aside a limb allowing the elevator door at the Grand Andean to close, or the way he hands off a “sea sick” Camille in the arms of a Haitian vacation resort attendant.

And then, of course, there are the priceless lines: 007 suggesting to M that he (paraphrasing) ”doesn’t really like dwelling on the past and neither should she” after she asks him of the fresh killing of Slate in Haiti; or the “that wasn’t very nice” line a couple of seconds after Camille tries to shoot him for being her would-be assassin, or the brilliant delivery of the "sabattico/lotterias" line at the Grand Andean check-in; or of him inviting Fields into the bedroom to help him find the stationary. Just to name a few.

Yes, there are wonderful little moments in this film which has more to do with character and dialogue and ‘spying’ than it has to do with “action”. In actual fact - and once again contrary to ill-informed opinion – the set pieces in Quantum, quantitatively, comprise a *minority* of the bullet-like run time. And they – all six of them – exist for a reason.

“ACTION”

From the very opening shot, where the camera pans over the northern Italian lake of Garda towards an Alpine tunnel pass in the region of Lombardy, we get a sense of impending menace to come, accompanied by the increasing tension of David Arnold’s strings. And as soon as we’re into the lightening fast edits of a suited man in an Aston Martin making Fleming-like “racing changes” as he desperately avoids traffic while under machine gun fire, we know that we’re undeniably into the start of a new James Bond adventure.

Mr Craig told interviewers that this story begins with a James Bond who is in “turmoil” and “confused”. The quick cuts and camera work of these first few minutes echo this sentiment as 007 – in an angry and embattled frame of mind – desperately fights for his very existence…desperate to live to find his measure of comfort and place in a bewildering world.

The twisting and turning and the falling upside down against the background of global meridian lines of the above noted colour palette in the Main Titles continues this sentiment.

Bond's confusion under little rest gets elevated as he finds out that Vesper’s Algerian boyfriend’s death has been fabricated and that the mystery organization does indeed have people “everywhere”. And when we get to the climax of the foot chase – sumptuously and attentively juxtaposed against the proceedings of the Palio di Siena cultural and sporting event - the editors and director engage in blisteringly fast cutting to echo these sentiments as Bond dangles upside down (literally and figuratively) in another desperate attempt to get to his ‘armour’ and blow Mitchell into oblivion.

We could go on at length about the “action” and “why” it “exists” the way it does but I’ll try to keep it to a bare minimum. In fact the following is not a review per say as it is just random thoughts and – perhaps – “explanations”/”points of debate” for fellow Bond fans who may have missed a tiny golden nugget or two.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The killing of Slate in the hotel room in Haiti illustrates just how lethal Our James can be, especially if he’s about to be sliced open by a stiletto. It’s a very brutal yet *stylish* kill: Note the way Our James holds on to the palm of a quickly dying Slate’s hand to check his rapidly diminishing pulse. Lovely!

The plot synopsis revealed at the very beginning of production back in winter stated that “a case of mistaken identity” leads Bond to Camille. The thinking that the film was put together as they went along, therefore, is a flawed notion because what we get in the movie is what was stated ten months ago. Nothing in this movie suggests that it was anything other than a carefully crafted "labour of love, as they say". To continue…

The boat chase at Port Au Prince “exists” because Camille holds the key in the chain that links Slate to Mitchell, Mr White and a banker called Le Chiffre…and his first immediate impulse would always be to keep her alive to further the investigation. Besides, she’s hot and in danger. And he wouldn't be Ian Fleming’s James Bond if he didn't try and 'save' her.

The 'shoot out' during the performance of Tosca at Lake Constance in Bregenz exists to bring 007’s reveal – which in turn tricks the enemy into revealing itself – to a logical conclusion as Greene’s thugs try to hunt down the man who’s just compromised Quantum’s plans for the Tiera (a combo of terra and Siera Club?) Project. The juxtaposed set piece - with its parallel storylines of treachery and secret covenants and killings - also exists to illustrate that Eon can indeed produce a work of enduring cinematic art. The piece, with its mind-blowing visuals, writing and execution as David Arnold’s memorable Quantum/Night At The Opera cue segues into Puccini's rousing Te Deum, must surely rank as a new high point in the Incredible World Of James Bond. It is doubtful Hitchcock could have done better, let alone Terrence Young or Lewis Gilbert or Martin Campbell.

The Silver-vs-Black-against-a-background-of-Beiges aerial pursuit is another artistic delight. It exists not only to illustrate 007’s prowess as a Special Services pilot but to prevent Bond from getting close to the secret behind the Tiera Project. And, by a quirk of fate which exists in all movies of this type, the freefall into the sinkhole (the only achilles heel of the movie if there is one) exists to ultimately reveal to Bond and the audience the mystery surrounding Quantum’s South American operation.

The philosophy is – has always been – that the audience should come along for the ride and never be ahead of Bond. The philosophy is maintained here.

Finally, the scorching action fest that is the finale exists as resolution. Resolution or near-resolution to more than just the deaths of Mathis, Fields and Camille’s mother, sister and father.

With an establishing shot of a large reptile (General Medrano’s grandfather?) moving slowly around a rock under a burning Southern sun – a scene Fleming could have described quite vividly on page one of his stories – the last set piece at the terra cotta coloured hotel amid the dunes of the desolate wastes of the 'Bolivian' desert adds atmosphere and lighting not easily captured on the Pinewood back lot; A lonely place with linearity mirroring the to-the-point missions to come. When has a Bond film ever been as brutal as in this final set piece – save License To Kill? Top scores for Arnold (no pun), Forster, Grassner, the editors and the stunt and pyro team here.

FINALLY SOLACE

In the end, solace is achieved…The reality is that this ‘long time’ James Bond ‘fan’ –who saw a re-release of You Only Live Twice and then Diamonds Are Forever, both in late 1971 as a boy with his parents – could not have hoped for a more riveting conclusion to a journey that began with the Palio di Siena shoot in August of 2007.

This movie is indeed powerful. It is moving. It’s a work of art. None of these collectively applies to any of the other James Bond movies preceding it. Quantum Of Solace, obviously, isn’t Citizen Kane. It, obviously (again) *can* be classified as fluff. It’s, nonetheless, well conceived, artistic and stylish fluff that’s quite extraordinary.

Is Quantum Of Solace the Best James Bond Movie Ever?

I imagine for many around the planet it likely is.

- Hildy

#2 avl

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Posted 17 November 2008 - 08:38 PM

That's an excellent review, thanks for it :(

#3 MattofSteel

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Posted 17 November 2008 - 08:56 PM

Wonderful review. I wouldn't consider it the best Bond film ever, but all of its merits have been appropriately highlighted here.

I think, unfortunately, the film will be remembered as a colossal misunderstanding. For some it's simply not their cup of tea, which I'll completely respect (and debate endlessly! :( ), but there's just too many wonderful things going on here to disregard it as the franchise's worst simply because it's different.

And yet, oh so familiar.

#4 ImTheMoneypenny

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Posted 17 November 2008 - 09:09 PM

Well done HildebrandRarity. It's been an anxiety filled few weeks for me until I finally got to see the movie for myself, and when I did well I found my quantum of solace in this incredible Bond film! :(

#5 Judo chop

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Posted 17 November 2008 - 09:25 PM

You talk too much, Hildy. :(

Naw. That was nice. I appreciate your detailed observations on the color palate Forster has used. Quite right. Even with the sound turned off, QoS has a fighting chance for being one of the best Bond films in the series.

I also appreciate the unintended reminder that I spelled “Siena” incorrectly in my review. :)

#6 broadshoulder

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Posted 17 November 2008 - 09:26 PM

– but the major surprise in Quantum is Olga Kurylenko who is stunning on almost every level.

IAN FLEMING’S CAMILLE MONTES

The twenty-nine year old Ukrainian’s portrayal of Camille is surpassed only by Diana Rigg’s 1969 performance in the Bond Girl stakes and the character – complete with scared back, heart and mind – is based on a recently found Ian Fleming manuscript from a here-to-fore hidden safe at Goldeneye in Jamaica. Fleming had been experimenting with physically and emotionally challenged female characters and Camille is the hub at which the spokes of Milena Havelock, Honeychile Rider and Gala Brand meet. So single-minded is her approach that Eon gives us a first for the series. Indeed, Camille is the only character from which the abundant humour in the film is wholly absent.


I have to say Camille really worked in this movie. She was Bonds partner without being obnoxiuos like Jinx or Wai Lin. And you are right she is the kind of girl that Fleming would have written about.

Why is it that the Craig era seems to be getting the Bond girls right where the Brosnan era failed?

With an establishing shot of a large reptile (General Medrano’s grandfather?) moving slowly around a rock under a burning Southern sun – a scene Fleming could have described quite vividly on page one of his stories


An excellent observation. You are absolutely right.

The best review I have read of the film yet.

#7 MI6 Lisbon Branch

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Posted 17 November 2008 - 09:29 PM

"This movie is indeed powerful. It is moving. It’s a work of art."
None of these collectively applies to any of the other James Bond movies preceding it."

This says it all!
And i AGREED with you 100%.
Too bad some people (not as few as i would like) couldnt feel the excitement we certainly felt after seeing this movie (i'm now on to my 4th screening).
This is now my number 1 Bond Movie (still side by side with On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which is also a masterpiece and a cinematic achievement).

#8 HildebrandRarity

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Posted 18 November 2008 - 12:55 PM



IAN FLEMING’S CAMILLE MONTES

The twenty-nine year old Ukrainian’s portrayal of Camille is surpassed only by Diana Rigg’s 1969 performance in the Bond Girl stakes and the character – complete with scared back, heart and mind – is based on a recently found Ian Fleming manuscript from a here-to-fore hidden safe at Goldeneye in Jamaica. Fleming had been experimenting with physically and emotionally challenged female characters and Camille is the hub at which the spokes of Milena Havelock, Honeychile Rider and Gala Brand meet.


I have to say Camille really worked in this movie...And you are right she is the kind of girl that Fleming would have written about.


With an establishing shot of a large reptile (General Medrano’s grandfather?) moving slowly around a rock under a burning Southern sun – a scene Fleming could have described quite vividly on page one of his stories


An excellent observation. You are absolutely right.

The best review I have read of the film yet.


Thanks. I think Eon have made a real effort to bring touches of Fleming into this film and not just with the title. Fleming had a tendency to describe a member of the animal/bird species in many of the books for atmosphere. I think Eon and Forster bring this touch in that shot of the large lizard in the set up to the finale'.

Another obvious effort is Camille Montes' character who carries the physical and emotional scars of General Medrano's brutality from her childhood. It's not very far off Fleming, is it?

#9 Loomis

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Posted 18 November 2008 - 01:47 PM

Excellent stuff, Rarity. Good call on the reptile under the rock - yes, very Fleming (specifically DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER). I'd agree that "Eon have made a real effort to bring touches of Fleming into this film and not just with the title".

I don't feel that QUANTUM OF SOLACE is the best James Bond film ever, but then again I've "only" seen it once. I did a ranking of all 22 Eon flicks the other day and found that QoS came in at 9, which is fairly respectable. It's possible that it'll move up a few places in my estimation, especially if I continue to read good, thought-provoking reviews such as yours.

#10 DanMan

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Posted 18 November 2008 - 01:55 PM

Loomis, you have to see it again. I wasn't really blown away the first time I saw it but when I went back the other day I was blown away. It's sounds so cliche but it really is one of those films you need to see again to fully appreciate it.

QOS really is a bullet of a film as Marc Foster said. You can't really understand or enjoy the film completely on that first viewing, especially as a Bond fan. I know for me personally, my heart was pounding the whole movie at the thrill of seeing a new Bond movie. Being here in the U.S., reading all the bad reviews coming in from Britain, I sat there watching the movie thinking "Okay, when are they gonna' **** this up?".

When the movie ended and I realized it wasn't half as bad as it was made out to be, I realized that I had to see it again stress free. I'm glad I went back because it's definetly in my top 5 if not my top 3.

#11 Loomis

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Posted 18 November 2008 - 01:57 PM

Oh, I'll certainly see it again. I'm sure I'll have at least one more theatrical viewing.

#12 ImTheMoneypenny

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Posted 18 November 2008 - 02:33 PM

Loomis, you have to see it again. I wasn't really blown away the first time I saw it but when I went back the other day I was blown away. It's sounds so cliche but it really is one of those films you need to see again to fully appreciate it.

QOS really is a bullet of a film as Marc Foster said. You can't really understand or enjoy the film completely on that first viewing, especially as a Bond fan. I know for me personally, my heart was pounding the whole movie at the thrill of seeing a new Bond movie. Being here in the U.S., reading all the bad reviews coming in from Britain, I sat there watching the movie thinking "Okay, when are they gonna' **** this up?".

When the movie ended and I realized it wasn't half as bad as it was made out to be, I realized that I had to see it again stress free. I'm glad I went back because it's definetly in my top 5 if not my top 3.


I agree DanMan, I'd been anxious over the bad reviews so I had to step back for a few weeks it didn't insulate me enough however and I went in waiting for them to have dropped the ball. Luckily, I loved it first time I watched QOS. I went back a few more times, each time I came away with more. It's in my top 3 for sure, but actually tied so my top 2 have two movies apiece sharing both spots. It's a cheat I know but I love em equally! :(

#13 Judo chop

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Posted 18 November 2008 - 02:52 PM

I've only seen it once, but I can say already that it has legs. It needs to be chewed and digested. I enjoy it more after having discussed with friends at length, and my friends have noticed this too. And I'm not talking about discussions in the vein of a Chris Farley interview: "Remember when we see that chick's panties and Greene gets an axe in the toe! AWESOME!"

No, I mean discussions around the themes and relationships and the emotional journey Bond and his filmmates are on.

QOS is much more than the sum of its parts. That's what I'm trying to say.

#14 00Twelve

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Posted 18 November 2008 - 03:04 PM

I've only seen it once, but I can say already that it has legs. It needs to be chewed and digested. I enjoy it more after having discussed with friends at length, and my friends have noticed this too. And I'm not talking about discussions in the vein of a Chris Farley interview: "Remember when we see that chick's panties and Greene gets an axe in the toe! AWESOME!"

No, I mean discussions around the themes and relationships and the emotional journey Bond and his filmmates are on.

QOS is much more than the sum of its parts. That's what I'm trying to say.

Doubtlessly, though, you apparently do remember the panties. :(

#15 dodge

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Posted 18 November 2008 - 03:09 PM

I've only seen it once, but I can say already that it has legs. It needs to be chewed and digested. I enjoy it more after having discussed with friends at length, and my friends have noticed this too. And I'm not talking about discussions in the vein of a Chris Farley interview: "Remember when we see that chick's panties and Greene gets an axe in the toe! AWESOME!"

No, I mean discussions around the themes and relationships and the emotional journey Bond and his filmmates are on.

QOS is much more than the sum of its parts. That's what I'm trying to say.

Doubtlessly, though, you apparently do remember the panties. :(


No, Judo's still thinking of those legs that need to be chewed and digested. First recorded instance of QoS inspiring cannibalistic urges. :)

#16 ACE

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Posted 18 November 2008 - 05:42 PM

Two cents if anyone cares to read it. It's slightly longish. Forgive the grammatical errors in advance. :)




A powerful and moving thriller, Quantum Of Solace is a carefully crafted and thoughtfully executed and edited cerebral near-masterpiece of the series. It is a remarkable film full of parallel story lines, mouth-watering juxtapositions, stark visual contrasts and poetic symmetry which elevates itself far above the capacity of most films in the genre to which it belongs. Though a blockbuster made for the masses, Quantum is the boldest Eon step yet which asks its global audience to come along – brain fully on – for every brave step of its stylish thrill ride. Nearly every choice made exists for a reason.

Cinematically, Quantum is an audio-visual feast for the senses: The outstanding and, at times, mesmeric stunt work and world class performances by the cast are launched off a canvass using a distinctive colour palette of blacks and whites, blues and the warm earth tones of beiges, browns and terra cotta reds. The film is a work of art disguised as a blockbuster and is underpinned and overlaid ably by a scintillating score punctuated by bombastic Bondian brass, rousing strings and percussion as well as thoughtful and reflective woodwind, mandolin and reverbed electric guitar work…with elements of the James Bond Theme peppered throughout.

007

Speaking of James Bond, Daniel Craig as 007 is a tour de force in Quantum, whether he’s killing in self defence or as payback, spying, taunting/drawing out the enemy, making audiences smile or chuckle with countless moments of humour via lines and mannerisms, or cradling allies at death’s door. Not a single James Bond performance comes close to matching what Mr Craig and 007 do on screen. Not in From Russia With Love, not in Casino Royale, not anywhere.

Indeed, there are five outstanding performances in this film: Mr Craig and Dame Judy aside, Giannini as Mathis and Amalric as Greene are outstanding – as you’d expect from stalwarts of European cinema – but the major surprise in Quantum is Olga Kurylenko who is stunning on almost every level.

IAN FLEMING’S CAMILLE MONTES

The twenty-nine year old Ukrainian’s portrayal of Camille is surpassed only by Diana Rigg’s 1969 performance in the Bond Girl stakes and the character – complete with scared back, heart and mind – is based on a recently found Ian Fleming manuscript from a here-to-fore hidden safe at Goldeneye in Jamaica. Fleming had been experimenting with physically and emotionally challenged female characters and Camille is the hub at which the spokes of Milena Havelock, Honeychile Rider and Gala Brand meet. So single-minded is her approach that Eon gives us a first for the series. Indeed, Camille is the only main character from which the abundant humour in the film is wholly absent.

A QUANTUM OF HUMOUR

Contrary to critical opinion, there is a fair quantum of humour on display in Solace. Some of it is ancillary: Note the old Sienese lady losing her day’s groceries from the top of the stairs as Mitchell rushes past, or the hilarity of the old Bolivian taxi driver as Mathis tries talking to Carlos, subtitles over subtitles. Note too Bond’s mannerisms as he tosses aside keys or a cell phone or kicks aside a limb allowing the elevator door at the Grand Andean to close, or the way he hands off a “sea sick” Camille in the arms of a Haitian vacation resort attendant.

And then, of course, there are the priceless lines: 007 suggesting to M that he (paraphrasing) ”doesn’t really like dwelling on the past and neither should she” after she asks him of the fresh killing of Slate in Haiti; or the “that wasn’t very nice” line a couple of seconds after Camille tries to shoot him for being her would-be assassin, or the brilliant delivery of the "sabattico/lotterias" line at the Grand Andean check-in; or of him inviting Fields into the bedroom to help him find the stationary. Just to name a few.

Yes, there are wonderful little moments in this film which has more to do with character and dialogue and ‘spying’ than it has to do with “action”. In actual fact - and once again contrary to ill-informed opinion – the set pieces in Quantum, quantitatively, comprise a *minority* of the bullet-like run time. And they – all six of them – exist for a reason.

“ACTION”

From the very opening shot, where the camera pans over the northern Italian lake of Garda towards an Alpine tunnel pass in the region of Lombardy, we get a sense of impending menace to come, accompanied by the increasing tension of David Arnold’s strings. And as soon as we’re into the lightening fast edits of a suited man in an Aston Martin making Fleming-like “racing changes” as he desperately avoids traffic while under machine gun fire, we know that we’re undeniably into the start of a new James Bond adventure.

Mr Craig told interviewers that this story begins with a James Bond who is in “turmoil” and “confused”. The quick cuts and camera work of these first few minutes echo this sentiment as 007 – in an angry and embattled frame of mind – desperately fights for his very existence…desperate to live to find his measure of comfort and place in a bewildering world.

The twisting and turning and the falling upside down against the background of global meridian lines of the above noted colour palette in the Main Titles continues this sentiment.

Bond's confusion under little rest gets elevated as he finds out that Vesper’s Algerian boyfriend’s death has been fabricated and that the mystery organization does indeed have people “everywhere”. And when we get to the climax of the foot chase – sumptuously and attentively juxtaposed against the proceedings of the Palio di Siena cultural and sporting event - the editors and director engage in blisteringly fast cutting to echo these sentiments as Bond dangles upside down (literally and figuratively) in another desperate attempt to get to his ‘armour’ and blow Mitchell into oblivion.

We could go on at length about the “action” and “why” it “exists” the way it does but I’ll try to keep it to a bare minimum. In fact the following is not a review per say as it is just random thoughts and – perhaps – “explanations”/”points of debate” for fellow Bond fans who may have missed a tiny golden nugget or two.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The killing of Slate in the hotel room in Haiti illustrates just how lethal Our James can be, especially if he’s about to be sliced open by a stiletto. It’s a very brutal yet *stylish* kill: Note the way Our James holds on to the palm of a quickly dying Slate’s hand to check his rapidly diminishing pulse. Lovely!

The plot synopsis revealed at the very beginning of production back in winter stated that “a case of mistaken identity” leads Bond to Camille. The thinking that the film was put together as they went along, therefore, is a flawed notion because what we get in the movie is what was stated ten months ago. Nothing in this movie suggests that it was anything other than a carefully crafted "labour of love, as they say". To continue…

The boat chase at Port Au Prince “exists” because Camille holds the key in the chain that links Slate to Mitchell, Mr White and a banker called Le Chiffre…and his first immediate impulse would always be to keep her alive to further the investigation. Besides, she’s hot and in danger. And he wouldn't be Ian Fleming’s James Bond if he didn't try and 'save' her.

The 'shoot out' during the performance of Tosca at Lake Constance in Bregenz exists to bring 007’s reveal – which in turn tricks the enemy into revealing itself – to a logical conclusion as Greene’s thugs try to hunt down the man who’s just compromised Quantum’s plans for the Tiera (a combo of terra and Siera Club?) Project. The juxtaposed set piece - with its parallel storylines of treachery and secret covenants and killings - also exists to illustrate that Eon can indeed produce a work of enduring cinematic art. The piece, with its mind-blowing visuals, writing and execution as David Arnold’s memorable Quantum/Night At The Opera cue segues into rousing Puccini, must surely rank as a new high point in the Incredible World Of James Bond. It is doubtful Hitchcock could have done better, let alone Terrence Young or Lewis Gilbert or Martin Campbell.

The Silver-vs-Black-against-a-background-of-Beiges aerial pursuit is another artistic delight. It exists not only to illustrate 007’s prowess as a Special Services pilot but to prevent Bond from getting close to the secret behind the Tiera Project. And, by a quirk of fate which exists in all movies of this type, the freefall into the sinkhole (the only achilles heel of the movie if there is one) exists to ultimately reveal to Bond and the audience the mystery surrounding Quantum’s South American operation.

The philosophy is – has always been – that the audience should come along for the ride and never be ahead of Bond. The philosophy is maintained here.

Finally, the scorching action fest that is the finale exists as resolution. Resolution or near-resolution to more than just the deaths of Mathis, Fields and Camille’s mother, sister and father.

With an establishing shot of a large reptile (General Medrano’s grandfather?) moving slowly around a rock under a burning Southern sun – a scene Fleming could have described quite vividly on page one of his stories – the last set piece at the terra cotta coloured hotel amid the dunes of the desolate wastes of the 'Bolivian' desert adds atmosphere and lighting not easily captured on the Pinewood back lot; A lonely place with linearity mirroring the to-the-point missions to come. When has a Bond film ever been as brutal as in this final set piece – save License To Kill? Top scores for Arnold (no pun), Forster, Grassner, the editors and the stunt and pyro team here.

FINALLY SOLACE

In the end, solace is achieved…The reality is that this ‘long time’ James Bond ‘fan’ –who saw a re-release of You Only Live Twice and then Diamonds Are Forever, both in late 1971 as a boy with his parents – could not have hoped for a more riveting conclusion to a journey that began with the Palio di Siena shoot in August of 2007.

This movie is indeed powerful. It is moving. It’s a work of art. None of these collectively applies to any of the other James Bond movies preceding it. Quantum Of Solace, obviously, isn’t Citizen Kane. It, obviously (again) *can* be classified as fluff. It’s, nonetheless, well conceived, artistic and stylish fluff that’s quite extraordinary.

Is Quantum Of Solace the Best James Bond Movie Ever?

I imagine for many around the planet it likely is.

- Hildy

Wow, HildebrandRarity. You obviously know your Bond - I love the literary allusions (even non-Fleming Bond ones) sprinkled throughout your review. Again, the key phrase here is intelligent enthusiasm. I'm glad a Bond fan from your generation has survived the fire and enjoyed this movie for what it was. Great writing and thanks for adding to the debate. :( :)

#17 Judo chop

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Posted 18 November 2008 - 06:20 PM

I've only seen it once, but I can say already that it has legs. It needs to be chewed and digested. I enjoy it more after having discussed with friends at length, and my friends have noticed this too. And I'm not talking about discussions in the vein of a Chris Farley interview: "Remember when we see that chick's panties and Greene gets an axe in the toe! AWESOME!"

No, I mean discussions around the themes and relationships and the emotional journey Bond and his filmmates are on.

QOS is much more than the sum of its parts. That's what I'm trying to say.

Doubtlessly, though, you apparently do remember the panties. :(


No, Judo's still thinking of those legs that need to be chewed and digested. First recorded instance of QoS inspiring cannibalistic urges. :)

Tasty looking legs might have the power to win me to QoS, but at least they didn’t win my vote for President. :)

#18 HildebrandRarity

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Posted 19 November 2008 - 06:39 PM

Wow, HildebrandRarity. You obviously know your Bond - I love the literary allusions (even non-Fleming Bond ones) sprinkled throughout your review...

I'm glad a Bond fan from your generation has survived the fire and enjoyed this movie for what it was. Great writing and thanks for adding to the debate. :( :)


Thanks ACE. I *hope* I know my Fleming and my Bond. I remember becoming a huge fan back in the mid-to-late 1970s when ABC TV used to air the Connerys and LALD and TMWTGG on Sunday nights.

Obviously, i'd always been biased towards Connery. Quantum Of Solace, however, has forced me to revisit all the Bonds and especially the Bond actors with a more discerning or critical eye.

I find this revisiting has shaken the very foundations of my perceptions of James Bond and Bond movies.

Daniel Craig's crushing performance in this film makes you look at Connery and the others in a New Light.

Honestly, Craig and Quanutm are on another plane. It's merely one opinion.

Another thing is that I suggest certain fans take a stop watch into their next viewing and time the collective duration of the six action sequences. What they come up with is likely to surprise them.

#19 Judo chop

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Posted 19 November 2008 - 06:47 PM

Another thing is that I suggest certain fans take a stop watch into their next viewing and time the collective duration of the six action sequences. What they come up with is likely to surprise them.

I'm already not surprised. I never thought the film was overstuffed at all.

I'll guess though...

22 minutes?

#20 Bonita

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Posted 19 November 2008 - 06:57 PM

Wonderful review.

The film does take Bond to a new level. I can offer my quibbles, but I prefer to think about just how excited I am to see it again - for the fourth time.

keep dancing...

Read my QoS review here: http://debrief.comma...showtopic=51624

#21 stamper

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Posted 19 November 2008 - 09:13 PM

Is this the twilight zone ? Does anyone here knows anything about movies ? CINEMA ?

My god, I have to change my sig.

#22 dee-bee-five

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Posted 19 November 2008 - 09:17 PM

Is this the twilight zone ? Does anyone here knows anything about movies ? CINEMA ?


Yes, thank-you. Some of us also have more than a faint grasp of grammar.

#23 Sigma7

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Posted 19 November 2008 - 09:49 PM

Best bond film ever????? masterpiece????? i must have been watching an action movie dressed up in cheap bond clothing.

#24 dee-bee-five

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Posted 19 November 2008 - 09:53 PM

Best bond film ever????? masterpiece????? i must have been watching an action movie dressed up in cheap bond clothing.


Well, the version of QoS I have seen three times vies for the title of best Bond. I certainly believe it's the best-directed, the most stylish, and extremely well-written and performed. All subjective, of course.

#25 HildebrandRarity

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Posted 20 November 2008 - 03:50 PM

My god, I have to change my sig.


You should.

I spent a good deal of time writing a review and all we get is one-liners that *would* actually be appreciated - if they had any wit.

I was going to write about the "stark contrasts" i alluded to above - such as the clean and sheen of MI6 offices and The Barbican in London juxtaposed against the dirt and poverty of Port Au Prince as Bond talks to M via Tanner by cell phone...or the dark and coolness of the sink hole water resevoir intercut back and forth with the bright, parched and desolate Bolivian village that has nothing to drink - but I think it's being wasted on people I thought were intelligent fans.

stamper, you really surprise me.

But then again, you said the movie would "tank". Look at the numbers. Anything but, stamper. Anything but.

#26 BigBreach

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Posted 20 November 2008 - 04:21 PM

Er, not a bad review, but do you actually know what these words mean?

mouth-watering juxtapositions, stark visual contrasts and poetic symmetry


So..what were your favourite 'juxtapositions' and where was the 'poetic symmetry?'

I'd like to know, cos I probably missed them between the car-chases, fight-scenes and the fit birds.

Edited by BigBreach, 20 November 2008 - 04:24 PM.


#27 HildebrandRarity

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Posted 20 November 2008 - 05:17 PM

I *might* actually know what those words mean given that I wrote them. :( I'll proceed in the spirit that you're being serious (as opposed to being condescending)... :)

Poetic symmetry:

- Greene has Fields drowned in oil...Bond leaves Greene in the middle of the desert with a container of motor oil. His dead body is later found with motor oil in his stomach.

- Camille's mother is raped in front of her (while she is helpless to do anything about it as a child) by General Medrano...she, as an adult, interrupts General Medrano from raping the hotel waitress and kills him.

- Movie begins with Bond realizing Vesper is duped by Yusef...Movie ends with Bond then preventing Corinne from being duped in the same way by Yusef.


My favourite juxtapostions:

- Palio horse race in the Piazza del Campo intercut with foot chase in Siena: Jockey falling off the horse > Bond falling in the cisterns; Horse standing in the way of oncoming horses on lap two > A steel gate closing off Bond's pathway.

- The secret Quantum meeting and then the shoot out set against the treachery and secret covenents and killings of the Tosca opera at Bregenz in Austria.

Stark contrasts?

Bond kills without thinking at the begining (although it's mostly in self defence) ... but then thinks of the big picture and doesn't kill Yusef because Yusef, under interrogation, will be a key to unlocking Quantum.

See also post # 25 for "stark visual contrasts", ie:

"the clean and sheen of MI6 offices and The Barbican in London juxtaposed against the dirt and poverty of Port Au Prince as Bond talks to M via Tanner by cell phone...

or the dark and coolness of the sink hole water resevoir intercut back and forth with the bright, parched and desolate Bolivian village that has nothing to drink..."

Thanks for asking and happy to help.

Something I noted about Bond in Quantum is that he's CONSTANTLY drinking:

- Scotch whiskey in Siena
- White wine at Mathis' Tuscan villa
- Six Vodka Martinis on the air flight to Bolivia
- Champagne in the Grand Andean hotel room while shagging Ms Fields
- Beer at the bar in La Paz when he meets Felix.

Awsome!

#28 Tarl_Cabot

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Posted 20 November 2008 - 06:40 PM

Fantastic Review.The piece de resistance of reviews I've read here. :(

Gonna catch Quatum for the second time today. :)

Something I noted about Bond in Quantum is that he's CONSTANTLY drinking:

- Scotch whiskey in Siena
- White wine at Mathis' Tuscan villa
- Six Vodka Martinis on the air flight to Bolivia
- Champagne in the Grand Andean hotel room while shagging Ms Fields
- Beer at the bar in La Paz when he meets Felix.

Awsome!


The film is intoxicating... :)

#29 Loomis

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Posted 20 November 2008 - 06:45 PM

Something I noted about Bond in Quantum is that he's CONSTANTLY drinking:

- Scotch whiskey in Siena
- White wine at Mathis' Tuscan villa
- Six Vodka Martinis on the air flight to Bolivia
- Champagne in the Grand Andean hotel room while shagging Ms Fields
- Beer at the bar in La Paz when he meets Felix.

Awsome!


Move over, Oliver Reed.

So he's had no sleep for days (for some unexplained reason) and has to kill Mitchell while twisting upside down on a rope, and he's twatted into the bargain!

Only Bond.... :(

#30 HildebrandRarity

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Posted 20 November 2008 - 07:06 PM

Fantastic Review.The piece de resistance of reviews I've read here. :)

Gonna catch Quatum for the second time today. :)

Something I noted about Bond in Quantum is that he's CONSTANTLY drinking:

- Scotch whiskey in Siena
- White wine at Mathis' Tuscan villa
- Six Vodka Martinis on the air flight to Bolivia
- Champagne in the Grand Andean hotel room while shagging Ms Fields
- Beer at the bar in La Paz when he meets Felix.

Awsome!


The film is intoxicating... ;)


After he shags Fields, they go to the Eco Park fundraiser party being thrown by Greene. It's an atmospheric moonlit affair.

Tarl, old bud, could you kindly check to see if has more to drink there...and then report back? :D

I mean, there are martinis and champagne floating around...so I can't quite recall if he drinks on screen at the party as well...wouldn't mind knowing if he's :(-faced while cradling a dying Mathis in the scene that follows.

:)

Move over, Oliver Reed.


:)