I absolutely agree that Quantum Of Solace contradicts Casino Royale. It's actually my main complaint with QOS.
At the end of CR, we have Craig "learning the most important lesson", not to trust anyone, especially a woman, according to M. As the credits close, we have Craig, brutal-looking yet dashingly dressed in a classic three-piece suit a la Goldfinger, naming himself "Bond, James Bond" as the music starts to play. It was a triumphant moment. It was probably one of the top 10 cinematic moments of the decade. It's the birth of Bond.
Cut to Quantum of Solace, which takes place moments later. There's no gunbarrel scene, and Craig is angry, "looks like hell", and is distressed about Vesper the entire film. Only at the end does he seem to get over Vesper.
Now, don't get me wrong. We really can't blame EON for this. After the comic fiasco that was Diamonds are Forever as a followup to OHMSS, all Bond fans wanted a real, relevant revenge story. Yes, there was Licence to Kill, but that was years after the actual event had happened. I was just as excited as everyone else to see a lovelorn Bond tearing through the bad guys. It was only in hindsight that I realized CR was perfect as is, and the next movie should have been with a normal Bond (although he should still have chased after "Quantum", and perhaps he could show moments of reflection on Vesper).
If we're to take QOS as anything other than a contradiction of CR's perfect ending, it might be as a ruse. For instance, much of the drama of QOS focuses on M doubting Bond. His mental fitness, his professional temperament, his judgement of the situation. Yet by the end, he's proven himself, and he tells her he "never left". Bond was Bond all along, and he just had a little anger left to deal with. It would be unrealistic to expect the film to pick up moments after the last and not show Bond as angry. But was he not yet Bond?
Let's contrast the two film endings:
CR: Bond has learned to trust no one. He is cold, ruthless, and impeccable. He is following up on the lead of Vesper dispassionately (I mean, I guess you could assume that he was going to torture Mr. White and kill the
out of him, but we don't know that).
QOS: Bond has encountered Vesper's former lover and betrayer Yusef, and has learned not to kill out of anger. He may have also learned to forgive and forget. Bond lets go of Vesper (symbolically by dropping her necklace).
See the contradiction? Which Bond do you prefer (or think is more accurate): the ruthless, cold-hearted Bond, or the cuddly "live and let live" Bond? The fact that CR made you feel like Bond had become who he was in the previous 20 films is a good sign in its favor.
What do you think?