James
Bond
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Review by Tim Mottershead:
November 12th, 2008Quantum of Solace: a Bond film of our time
“Look away now”, says the newscaster about to announce the football results prior to Match of the Day. This would also have been sound advice prior to the start Quantum of Solace: the pre-feature advertisements showing no less than 5 clips of the very film the audience had come to see! Still, I don’t suppose the cinema can really be blamed for such tactics: the close of a film’s final scene is the cue for a mass stampede to exit the auditorium almost before the credits have begun to roll (why?…plus you’ll miss a great pun!), so therefore the adverts come at the start, and in this case product placement was something Ian Fleming actively cultivated in his books.
Daniel Craig’s gritty and realistic portrayal of Bond is faithful to Fleming’s original vision of ruthless and deadly detachment. Whilst he plays him with all the qualities one associates with the film series (supremely confident, multi-skilled, a lady’s man etc.), he also brings several qualities one admires in the novels. Although confident, he is never slick. His self belief is strong, yet edged with doubts. He is tenacious and relies on his wits and ingenuity rather than an endless range of gadgets. In short, his Bond is straight and deadly serious. If all of this sounds like I’m talking about Timothy Dalton, it has to be said that in many ways the portrayal is not dissimilar. Craig has the obvious advantage, however, that he is able to work with (rather than against) a script fully sympathetic with his conception of the character. Full credit, therefore, should be paid to screen writers Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis (the team who adapted Daniel Craig’s inaugural outing as Bond Casino Royale) who have unquestionably produced the finest original Bond screenplay to date, in bringing these elements of Bond’s character to life (despite using only the title of a relatively innocuous short story). One final consideration is that Craig’s portrayal is incredibly athletic and dynamic. That could be also be said of George Lazenby and of Pierce Brosnan. What is different here is the tremendous believability that Craig brings to the character. He manages to convince us that Bond’s success against every obstacle is by no means a foregone conclusion: when he does succeed, he often does so by pushing himself to the limit. Contrast this with the Roger Moore approach (equally valid for its own time) where Bond succeeds because the script says so.
As in the previous film Q is absent, so it is left to M (Judi Dench) to provide continuity with the Bond of old. This film also marks the welcome return of Bill Tanner. In the books, Tanner is Bond’s closest friend in the service and one criticism of QoS is that it is difficult to imagine Bond having all that much rapport with this particular incarnation of Tanner. With little to do, this is not the actor’s fault, and it is to be hoped that in future outings he becomes a regular and more rounded character, in the mould of the portrayal by Michael Kitchen or that of Robinson by Colin Salmon (both from the Pierce Brosnan era and who shared a genuine chemistry with Bond). Craig has stated his desire to see the return of Q to series. Perhaps a way forward would be along the same lines by which he was introduced in Dr. No, as armourer, rather than as a multi gadget master.
So to the opening scene which is a good indicator of the tenor of the entire film. After much speculation in the press, the exact nature and timescale of the continuity with Casino Royale is confirmed by this pre-credits sequence. As this scene has been widely trailed on TV, I’m not giving much away by mentioning how it starts, but for those who still don’t know then “Look away now”. The movie begins with long panned shot of the elegant façade of the exterior of the Lake Garda road tunnel. The calm is soon shattered by perhaps the most exciting car chase of any Bond film, and that’s saying something! This arises from the interplay of four elements. Firstly and most importantly, the chase has obviously been choreographed and rehearsed in fine detail, to create a sense of both drama and realism. Secondly, it is then played straight, with deadly intent. This is then enhanced by ‘documentary-style’ camera techniques, coupled with frenetic changes of angle, and rapid editing techniques. All of which is supported by the music: David Arnold’s score is easily his finest and the best in a Bond film for many a year. The overall effect creates a palpable sense of excitement, danger, realism, and uncertainty. In fact it could only feel more dangerous if one were actually driving the car.
If the opening provides a good example of the film’s seriousness of intent and delivery, so is the choice of new villain, who no longer sports some physical defect, but comes across as an insidious quasi political figure masquerading as an altruist. This more serious forum is obviously less accommodating to the flippant throwaway humour associated with the later Connery and Moore vehicles. Some would say this is no bad thing for it had got out of hand anyway, but it certainly makes the humour that is used, the more telling, such as when Bond changes his hotel reservation for something more conspicuous and upmarket (obviously) or his assessment of his boss’s attitude towards him. The film also makes effective use of a variety of locations, from the opening in atmospheric Sienna, to Haiti, Austria and Bolivia. Die-hard Bond fans will also be pleased to notice (and tick off) allusions to several other films (including Goldfinger, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker) and even to the recent Sebastian Faulk’s novel Devil May Care.
All in all, a Bond film for our time. The series has successfully updated itself once again, taking account of recent and dramatic shifts in the global political landscape whilst returning to the character’s roots. Quite an achievement.
Tim Mottershead