November 14, 2008

James Bond Lacks Plot but Pumps Action

By Anna Schickele

Hub Staff <

The new James Bond film, “Quantum of Solace,” is heavy on action and light on everything else.

The movie begins with a car chase in an Italian highway tunnel. There’s also a motor boat battle in Haiti, a fistfight above an opera stage in Austria and an airplane pursuit over the Bolivia desert.

Daniel Craig returns as James Bond, and he is joined by Olga Kurlyenko who plays Camille. However, she is nothing compared to Eva Green, who played Bond Girl Vesper Lynd in “Casino Royal” Craig and Kurlyenko kiss once or twice, but other than that, there’s no passion between them. Bond is haunted by the memory of Vesper throughout the movie, re-enforcing the fact that this movie is a sequel.

The plot of “Quantum of Solace” isn’t great, but it could be a lot worse. Bond’s mission is centered around stopping Dominic Greene (Mathieu Almaric), head of a faux environmental company.Greene helps a Bolivian general (Joaquin Cosio) overthrow the Bolivian government in return for oil rights.

The oil greed plotline is a little trite (It probably seemed more appropriate about 2 years ago, when the script was written), but the writers successfully transitioned Bond from the Cold War to the problems of the modern world. Other references to current issues, such as the Iraq war and the devaluation of the dollar, are refreshing. The portrayal of CIA Agent Beam, a stereotypical American with a southern accent who disregards the interests of less important countries, is amusing on some levels, but stale on others. However, this is an action movie, so even though the plot is skewed, understanding it isn’t key to enjoying the movie.

By far, the film’s best aspect is Judi Dench, who returns to her role as M, Bond’s superior. Her perpetual disappointment in Bond’s inability to interrogate suspects without killing them leads to some of the movie’s best lines.

“Quantum of Solace” is nowhere near as good as its predecessor “Casino Royale.” It’s not as clever, the plot is not as engaging, and even the opening credits (accompanied by a song by Alicia Keys and Jack White aren’t as good. However, it still has the sense of adventure that accompanies all James Bond movies, and a moviegoer looking for globe-trotting action and excitement won’t be disappointed.

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