'Quantum of Solace' goes under review in MI6's October Bondathon

To celebrate the spate of upcoming Bond film anniversaries and the pave the way to Bond 23, we thought it was high-time the forum (Keeping The British End Up) pulled together for an official review of the whole series.

A film will be presented each month for viewing, discussion and review; running in conjunction with the main site, overall ratings and a selection of the best reviews will be published at the end of the month on mi6-hq.com.

007 goes on a revenge rampage in MI6's October Bondathon...

Introduction

"I never left..."

James Bond's 22nd on-screen adventure is a frenzied adrenaline-rush of a picture. Spanning six countries in just 106 minutes, "Quantum of Solace" picks up from where 007 left off in "Casino Royale". The scenes are spectacularly shot and chopped (some might say brutally) into bite-sized action adventures. Car-chase, boat brawl, hand-to-hand combat and a stunning foot-chase across the roof and in the cisterns of Siena - to name just a few of the outbursts of action in the picture.

The new editing style is reminiscent of (indeed, inspired by) the Jason Bourne pictures but that does not mean that Bond lacks his quota of trademarks: fantastically mysterious girls, likable allies and gut-rotting martinis. The supporting cast, for instance, includes the talents of Olga Kurylenko as the troubled Camille Montes Rivera, Mathieu Amalric is the scheming Dominic Greene and fan favourites Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) and Rene Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini). Yet, Daniel Craig is very much the star - in all senses of the expression. His Bond's gift is in his brooding and tortured complexion whilst acting in a pragmatic fashion.

The plot twists and turns around us and viewers are constantly surprised that Bond seems to be on top of everything. In fact, there are moments when the character clearly loses the plot - the death of many a close friend and the various betrayals that come in the course of the picture are definitely causes for concern for 007.

The film addresses both the need for an escapist hour and a half and strikes a chord with its modern and astoundingly relevant plot points. The thought of water monopolisation, which is hanging in the background of this essentially action-packed flick, stays with a viewer, taunting and worrying one - more so than the in-your-face references to Bond's ex-lover Vesper Lynd.

As the franchise's first "direct continuation" this film covers a lot of ground in the name of wrapping up loose ends - but whether or not it hits the mark as a standalone 007 adventure, that is for reviewers to decide.

Introduction by Q

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