Quantum of Solace...

[fajrdrako]

I had feared that Quantum of Solace might disappoint me after the quality of Casino Royale. Not in the least. I loved the movie, if anything, even more.

Want to see it again.

I had feared it might be all car chases, but it isn't. There's plenty of plot, and most of the chasing is the kind I like - on foot - though there's a chase (one might even call it a battle) by boat that I enjoyed. And it had some wonderful emotion in it. Bond is the kind of hero who never makes excuses and never explains - I love the type. So possibly my favourite moment in the movie is when M, against all rational sense, says of Bond, "He is my agent. I trust him."

1. M is wonderful in every scene. I am not the world's greatest fan of Judi Dench, but in this, she's magnificent. I think her playing of M has made me a fan.
   
   
2. In one scene near the beginning, M and her agents, including Bond, are trying to get information out of an enemy about his organization. "We are everywhere," he says, and one of M's bodyguards turns on her. This reminded me of the famous story of Sultan Saladin having Assassins in his bodyguard in the 12th century. It's a ploy I love.
   
   
3. A lot of the story is about trust - knowing or guessing who to trust and who to distrust.
   
   
4. Which makes for great suspense.
   
   
5. I loved it that all the women in the movie with major roles are agents themselves. Olga Kurylenko, the female lead, reminded me of one of my favourite actresses of all time, Sophie Marceau - but I didn't find her nearly as attractive. That's okay: she's interesting enough to make up for it.
   
   
6. The villains were suitably horrible. The main baddie, Dominic Greene, played with style by Mathieu Amalric, reminded me of James Callas playing Gaius Baltar in Battlestar Galactica. But while I like Baltar, Greene had a revolting edge. Well played.
   
   
7. Interesting that the villains were not just trying to take over countries, but trying to destroy the environment.
   
   
8. I had thought from the set-up (and the trailers) that Bond was out to avenge the death of Vesper. I suppose M thought so, too. But no: he resented her betrayal of him, and it really was about duty.
   
   
9. During the course of the adventure, Bond encounters (read: has sex with) a beautiful British woman named Agent Fields. Her Christian name is not given in the movie. I saw it in the credits, though: her first name is "Strawberry".
   
   That is brilliant: not just the name, but the fact that they didn't say it in the movie. In the movie, she won't tell Bond her first name. Class act.
   
   
10. I loved the role and character of Mathis. Especially his death in Bond's arms. Especially the way he fits into the whole "trust and betrayal" theme.
    
    
11. Great settings.
    
    
12. I liked the assortment of exotic places in which Bond finds himself. Haiti, Bolivia, Italy.
    
    
13. Canadian Paul Haggis was one of the writers. I always liked his work on Due South, but was appalled by Crash, which I thought badly (and boringly) written. Here, he redeems himself. It's a beautiful script with all the right touches, and just the right kind of excess.
    
    
14. At the end, a certain character turns out to be an undercover Canadian spy. Canadian! I think Paul Haggis snuck that one in.
    
    
15. Though I suppose what really makes the movie is the presence of Daniel Craig. Whoever cast that man is a genius.
    
    
16. More, please.
    
    
    

Comments

[monsieureden.livejournal.com]

Yay!! I'm excited. Supposed to see it sometime soon w/ friends.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. You'll love the rooftop race in Sienna!

[creativeelf.livejournal.com]

OMFG I nearly cried when Mathis died. :(

This movie rocked my socks! I need to see it again as well. I love DC :D

[countrycousin.livejournal.com]

Thanks!! It goes on the list!

[sollersuk.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I had been dithering about whether to go and see it, but now I definitely will. I've found on a number of occasions now that people on my flist have similar enough tasts to mine that if they say they liked something, I will like it. Indeed, I think I've followed your recommendations in the past, to enjoyable effect.

[elebridith]

I also enjoyed it! Craig is really really great. I like the way the new Bonds are going - much more interesting!
And we even had a little piece of deja-vu: When he's in Bregenz at "Tosca", the lady who sings the lead part is an opera singer who has worked many years in Bielefeld which is the theatre I'm a regular in. I wouldn't have recognised her onscreen, but the newspaper had an article about her and Bond and it was nice to know. We sat in the cinema and all went "Oh look, there's Karine!" *g*

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

We sat in the cinema and all went "Oh look, there's Karine!" *g*

What fun! I loved that whole sequence. And the way the opera scenes echoed the action.

Daniel Craig is just so interesting and sexy and smart. I like the way they're characterizing him.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad that my recommendations have been helpful! Yes, flists are good for that sort of thing - and for the opposite, too, pointing out when something isn't good. It's nice to be forewarned.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

OMFG I nearly cried when Mathis died. :(

Me too. That was such a great scene.

I need to see it again as well. I love DC

Isn't it fun to be this excited over a Bond movie? They've really made something of the series this time.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

And so it should! I hope you enjoy.

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

I'm avoiding most of the post because I'd rather see it unspoiled, but I'm very glad to know you loved it. Something ELSE to look forward to. YAY.

And there's the next issue of The Umbrella Academy coming out on the 26th. I've got it pre-ordered. ::curses the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean all over again::

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Something ELSE to look forward to.

Yup. Really. Someone on the Dunnett list said they thought it didn't have enough humour, but I thought the tone was just about perfect. Besides, I don't like it when James Bond turns into comedy.

A new Umbrella Academy - yay! (And an excuse to go into the comic shop, where I haven't been for about six months now. Temptation will be all around me.)

[monsieureden.livejournal.com]

You can not go wrong w/ a rooftop race.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It's a class act.

[janne-d.livejournal.com]

I loved it - I saw some people call it unemotional, which I didn't get at all because I thought it had some of the strongest emotions of any Bond film.

I adore Daniel Craig in it. I thought the way he did the "We are teachers on sabbatical... who have just won the lottery" line was perfect, and so funny. And the relationship with M is so much more interesting in these films. I really liked the tiny scene between them when he's escaped from the guys in the lift.

I liked that Olga's character got to take her revenge herself as well, and that Bond didn't sleep with her - she just walks off to get on with her life at the end. (Apparently the Timothy Dalton Bond didn't sleep with his main Bond women either, but I bet they didn't get as strong endings.)

My favourite scene was the last bit in Russia where Bond lays out for the female agent what will happen if she stays with Dimitri, and she thanks him before she leaves.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I saw some people call it unemotional, which I didn't get at all because I thought it had some of the strongest emotions of any Bond film.

I thought that, too. Casino Royale was the first of the Bond movies where I thought Bond came across as a three-dimensional human being. Quantum of Solace continued that. He's brave and dedicated and resilient but also vulnerable, smart, and feeling. It's all good.

I thought the way he did the "We are teachers on sabbatical... who have just won the lottery" line was perfect, and so funny.

So cute, and beautifully set up.

Apparently the Timothy Dalton Bond didn't sleep with his main Bond women either, but I bet they didn't get as strong endings.

I liked Dalton as Bond but I don't remember the stories at all.

My favourite scene was the last bit in Russia where Bond lays out for the female agent what will happen if she stays with Dimitri, and she thanks him before she leaves

Wonderful, wonderful moment.