45 replies to this topic

[Georgiboy]

What were your thoughts on Greene as a villain?

I'm still trying to decide about him. He certainly looked creepy, but he never really got the chance to show how evil he really was. He definitely needed more screen time too. I did love the final fight between him and Bond though.

Edited by Georgiboy, 16 November 2008 - 12:17 AM.

[Se7en]

I liked Greene. I would have liked it if he didn't die and was carried on to Bond 23.

[eddychaput]

I couldn't agree more. Mathieu Amalric has quickly become one of my favorite actors working today. But the script doesn't really do him any favors. I don't mind a 'business man' type villain in a Bond film, but it the end product in QOS wasn't great by any means. I couldn't help but have the impression that by the end of the film, there wasn't much of a rivalry between him and Bond.

I know people are going to staunchly disagree with that argument, but for some reason I felt like Bond and Greene had hardly met each other at all. In Licence to Kill, which is also a revenge adventure, Sanchez and Bond have had so many juicy scenes together (in addition to the fact that Bond is hiding the reality that he wants to absolutely destroy Sanchez), that when they finally do battle and Bond wins, it is a cathartic experience. Greene is an okay villain, but I didn't feel any weight from his character.

[mccartney007]

I thought Greene -- Mathieu Amalric specifically -- was great. I wish we had more time with him.

[shady ginzo]

I agree with the above comments regarding rivalry lacking between Bond and Greene, LeChiffe shared much more tense dialogue with bond and that makes him my favoured villain of this "Bond 2.0" series.

that said, Almeric was fantastic as Greene, and while not blessed with a similar calibre of script as his predecesor, his performance was brilliant, I loved the way Greene re-affirmed the idea that Quantum's strengh comes not from the physical but from cloak and dagger tactics, emotional torture and various other manipulations. He also came across as marvelously psychotic or sociopath, from his introduction with camile right up to his desperate shreiking as he swung an axe at Bond during the final fight. Fantastic performance drawn out of a relitivly weak character.

[Mister E]

Greene had potential and very good dialogue but he is not on the level of the greats, he lacked the maniac drive. I'd sum him up as the cerebal equivalent of Telly Savalas' Blofeld, more then servicable opponent but lacking.

[Turn]

I think Greene is very comparable to Le Chiffre in reflecting the new era of Bond villains. Gone are the interchangeable megalomaniacs and in are conflicted villains who are looking out for their own interests while being part of a bigger puzzle, which makes them a little more interesting.

Like Le Chiffre, I didn't completely hate Greene and almost felt some sympathy for him, especially at the end when you know he was going to come to a messy end. That's two films in a row the villain bites it from his own organization. I wonder if it was Mr. White who assasinated him?

I didn't buy Greene being as tough in a fight with Bond as he let on.

The one thing I kept thinking of was how much he resembled Roman Polanski.

[MI6 Lisbon Branch]

As a character its not one of the most memmorable of the series but it's really actual and coeherent with our times.
MATHIEU AMALRIC is a 5 stars actor so he makes a very good job in portraying a a cinical businessman with hidden agendas.
Although not one of the highest points of the movie (which i loved!!), and not one of my favourite Bond Villains, it's not neither a weak character or a bad performance as i read over and over!

[Emma]

I didn't find him monster scary. But he's scary in a sleezebagish and weaselish way. Sort of like a back stabbing sniveling coworker or politician.

[Tarl_Cabot]

I liked him alot. Excellent villian. The villian doesn't have to be a black hat world domination type to be effective.

[baerrtt]

One of the series' most low key villains and genuinely one of it's nastiest. An intelligent but sociopathic and inadequate runt. His relationship with Camille exposes this and what we essentially have is a more down to earth portrayal of the normal Bond villain archetype. And like Le Chiffre in CR much more interesting than the cackling, reveal every single plan to Bond rather than kill him off madmen that became the formula for almost 90% of the series.

The kind of villains who never truly felt scary despite their grandiose plans(destroying the planet, starting wars etc). For me Craig's rogues gallery (along with the likes of Dalton's villains) may appear less powerful and less cartoonish but they're alot more frightening for that. Because they appear more tragically real than the likes of genetically enhanced supervillains or spoilt Asian generals who get makeovers or despots who prefer living underwater or space the list goes on and on.

The story about his mother to Camille quite frankly sent shivers up my spine like not many Bond villains have before and I've been watching these films since I was small and impressionable .

Edited by baerrtt, 16 November 2008 - 06:53 PM.

[Ravenstone]

Slimy and menacing. Gives the impression of being the type who will just shoot you rather than leave you dangling over a shark filled pool while he wanders off for a quick game of baccarat.

His eyes were pools of black. Very like oil.

[DR76]

I liked him a lot. In fact, he's the type of Bond villain I like - subtle, almost friendly, yet cold-blooded as hell. Unlike Le Chiffre or even Bond, he's not an egotist. Okay . . . perhaps he is. But he doesn't allow it to be his downfall, like Le Chiffre. But he is very greedy and considering how he handled General Medrano, very manipulative. And he seems to be nobody's fool.

[Cruiserweight]

4 words:My new favorite villain!

[Mister E]

I think Greene is very comparable to Le Chiffre in reflecting the new era of Bond villains. Gone are the interchangeable megalomaniacs and in are conflicted villains who are looking out for their own interests while being part of a bigger puzzle, which makes them a little more interesting.

There is nothing wrong with megalomaniacs, just write the character well. Greene for me, was just one or two notches below being great Bond villian.

[Qwerty]

Wonderfully wonderful.

Truly, one of the best villains by far in the series. This bug-eyed mad hatter is perfect example of what makes a near-perfect Bond villain: he's quite dangerous, but never so over-the-top that he becomes a character played purely for comedy.

I wish there was even more of him in the film, but as it stands, Mathieu Amalric's Dominic Greene is definitely among the best.

[Aces High]

As an actor I think Matheau is highly respected.However I think he was poorly served on Quantum,if they had given this actor a juicy script he would have made a far more formidable villian.Alas because of the rushed script he come in with the likes of Toby Stevens,Michel Lonsdale & Jerone Krabbe.Like with Walken a missed oppotunity

[tdalton]

Wonderfully wonderful.

Truly, one of the best villains by far in the series. This bug-eyed mad hatter is perfect example of what makes a near-perfect Bond villain: he's quite dangerous, but never so over-the-top that he becomes a character played purely for comedy.

I wish there was even more of him in the film, but as it stands, Mathieu Amalric's Dominic Greene is definitely among the best.

Completely agreed. Greene was a great villain, although I think that he could have been better if he had been developed a bit more in the script.

[Brooky]

I found him fairly forgettable but I suppose I am used to Bond villains with eyepatches, scars and metal teeth LOL.

[0077]

I didn't buy Greene being as tough in a fight with Bond as he let on

I agree. When I first watched the movie I expected Bond to eliminate Green with his bare hands, like with Blofield in YOLT. However it was a nice touch to leave him out in the desert with only a can of oil.

It would have been really cool to see Greene in Royale, possibly sharing one scene with Le Chiffre.

Elvis, on the other hand was a complete waste of screen time and the film wouldn't have suffered any less if the character (and the hairdo) never appeared in the first place.

Edited by 0077, 25 March 2011 - 06:30 PM.

[DR76]

Greene is a favorite of mine. He is an insidious, emotionally manipulative and vindictive little cretin. He's the type who would shove a knife in your back, while smiling. I tend to prefer villains like him who are subtle.

[sharpshooter]

I like Greene, and I like cog in the wheel type villains. Although after getting that the last two films, I think it’s time to see a heavyweight leader throw his weight around on his minions. Subtle villains like Greene and Le Chiffre can end up feeling the same, with the differences being small. And they both do look alike.

[blueman]

Liked him a lot, more than Mads in CR even. Nice to have two such classic villains for Craig's films so far. Seems Fiennes might be the next one, more awesomeness if true.

[Chief of SIS]

I have often been perplexed by the perceived physical equality between Greene and Bond in the end but on reflexion it sort of makes sense if you factor in that it may be Craig's Bond first attempt NOT to kill the bad guy right away. Maybe a little restraint.
I think I liked him. Some good lines. I love when he had his talk with General Medrano in the Eco Hotel. Mathieu Amalric is strong actor. Crazy yells/cackling in the end too. Kind of haunting.

Edited by Chief of SIS, 26 March 2011 - 06:09 AM.

[Guy Haines]

Greene can be summed up in one word - corrupt. With him, there seems to be no problem that cannot be bought off, save, of course, James Bond. Unusual for a Bond villain - we tend to think of them as driven individuals prone to eliminating their problems literally and killing their adversaries, focused only on the goal of blackmailing or dominating the world.

On the other hand he has a cruel streak - what kind of man would "make a point" by drowning a pretty young woman in crude oil, leaving her naked body in Bond's hotel room? (answering my own question, one who went to see the film "Goldfinger" in his youth! )

Amalric is a good actor, and I agree with the point one contributor here has made - if a film is made of the highly controversial life of Roman Polanski, Amalric seems an obvious choice for the role.

Not a "classic" Bond villain - maybe because he doesn't conform to the cliches we expect of them - but probably a bit more realistic than most.

[blueman]

Good points, Guy. Also: really appreciated how Forster worked in the madman-with-an-axe bit for the finale, decent enough set-up and follow-through and nice Fleming-like denouement (think Blofeld's attack on Bond with a samurai sword at the end of YOLT). I know for some this didn't work but especially in context of an exploding building I found it easy to buy into. EON seems to like to plug in such "crazy" villain behavior for its climaxes, but it rarely works so well IMO.

[copperhead1]

Two thoughts come to mind about Greene:
1. Underused
2. One-dimensional

[univex]

I like Greene, and I like cog in the wheel type villains. Although after getting that the last two films, I think it’s time to see a heavyweight leader throw his weight around on his minions. Subtle villains like Greene and Le Chiffre can end up feeling the same, with the differences being small. And they both do look alike.

My thoughts exactly. Although I like Le Chiffe better. I´d like to see the return of the parental figure that Bond (Oedipus) has to slay in order to please Queen (mom) and Country (super-ego) and to grow up and, as an adult, get is own girl. Isn´t psychoanalysis wonderful?

[iBond]

Honestly, I liked Greene. I just wish he would have had more screen time and more interaction with 007. In addition, he really reminded me of Maximilian Largo in NSNA. Some small dude who had a big ego.

[The Mechanic]

He is a sort of Elliot Carver. No charisma, he is not really dangerous in a close-combat bacause too crazy to be truly effective.
Quantum has worked with Le Chiffre. I can't believe that White has accepted Greene within the organization. A psychopath is not reliable and Quantum wants to trust its employees.