Quantum of Solace Review-final two thirds very strong

A fine continuation of the sotry begun in Casino Royale. Due to the quick pace and some of the cinematography, the film is a bit reminiscent of the last two Bourne films but thankfully without the overuse of the handheld that creates that nauseating effect during action scenes. Here's the bad to get it over with..the early portion is overloaded with action. The car chase did nothing for me since it was too tight and quickly cut. The titles were fine but the song "Another Way to Die" despite some clever touches with the piano is the worst kind of duet, wherein people are shouting with each other instead of building a song together. I liked the foot chase in Siena, although I would have liked a little more of the interrogation scene prior to it. You really felt Bond's determination in that scene. I was not real interested in the boat chase since it was the third major action scene in what had to be less than 25 minutes of screen time although Bond's casual tossing off of Camile was well done. However at that point I was feeling quite a bit annoyed since while I did not expect the film to be the same as Casino Royale it was the quieter character scenes in that film that largely made it so special and while Bond's rage and frustration about the situation with Vesper was clear I wanted more. The later scene seduction scene with Fields felt unnecessary, especially since it only used two shots, one of which was in the first trailer and the other was in the second.

There is a lot of good. Here goes. From the point that Bond goes to Austria and the opera scene begins the film goes into a higher gear. It slows down just a bit and while there are several short action bits it focuses on telling its pretty interesting story. I loved the CIA supporting Green since by him putting Madranos into power the U.S. could get more oil, and Felix's trouble with it. Camille's backstory with Madranos gave her a clear goal, something Bond girls often lack. I also loved her breakdown after she finally gets what she wants. Bond's making the peace with Mathis and their arrival in Bolivia with the cab driver spouting nonsense and a life's worth of frustrations also came together seamlessly. I enjoyed the scene of Bond getting drunk on the Vesper martini he created in Casino Royale and the continual suggestion of his insomnia. Dench's increased presence as M and the acknowledgement of their "prickly" Mother/Son type relationship adds a lot to the film. Mathis' death was tragic and his request that Bond forgive Vesper and himself is touching. A big highlight is the scene in the hotel with M which is cut together beautifully, as it much of the film after it leaves Haiti . The airplane dogfight was good as was the freefall which could have been distrastrous, the follow-up scene with Camille, the hotel action climax, and the final confrontation Bond has with Vesper's boyfriend adds a final appropriate sense of tragedy to their story. I love the shaking up of the formula and the focus on telling the story from a character point of view. I don't mind the idea of putting the gunbarrel at the end but in this story it would have made more sense to have it in the beginning since the opening was kind of playful whereas the end scene was a bit of a serious one.

To sum up these disorganized notes, I much enjoyed almost all of the film's final two thirds. I hope the producers continue to take chances and focus on storytelling rather than spectacle.

#1 bribond

#2 Tarl_Cabot