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  1. 'Quantum of Solace' – What The Critics Said (Part II)

    By Devin Zydel on 2008-10-28

    Devin Zydel

    The first press screening of Quantum of Solace was held on Friday, 17 October at the Odeon cinema in London with journalists from numerous media outlets attending.

    Anticipation for Daniel Craig’s second James Bond adventure was at an all time high following the unstoppable success that Casino Royale sparked almost exactly two years ago, becoming the best reviewed 007 film of all time

    CommanderBond.net has compiled together an exhaustive list of various media reviews of Quantum of Solace–the good and the bad.

    Read on to see if the 22nd Bond film lives up to expectactions… [Click here for Part I of this article]

    QUANTUM OF SOLACE

    WHAT THE CRITICS SAID (PART II)


    Quantum doesn’t disappoint–just don’t expect the brilliance of Casino Royale

    Covered in oil, the thick black fluid dripping from her naked body, the latest girl to fall for James Bond lies dead on a hotel bed.

    Sleeping with 007 has always been bad for a woman’s health. And MI6 Agent Fields is the latest Bond girl to meet with a sticky end in Quantum of Solace, in a scene that brilliantly evokes the death of Shirley Eaton in Goldfinger.

    Two years after Casino Royale, Bond is back. Hundreds of fans queued around London’s Leicester Square for last night’s world premiere of the 22nd Bond movie.

    And the spying theme wasn’t confined to the big screen–security stopped anyone from entering the Odeon with a mobile phone.

    Even as Jack White and Alicia Keys’ theme tune, Another Way To Die, rolled, guards patrolled the aisles watching for illicit recordings.

    If security was high, expectations were higher. Could Daniel Craig equal his last Bond outing? Nearly. He just falls short, but 007’s licence to thrill is still intact.

    Quantum of Solace is a leaner, meaner animal, rammed with shoot-outs, a boat chase and even an aerial dogfight. And our hero is an angry, embittered man out for blood.

    Read on…

    The Mirror


    Craig’s ice-cool Bond is the guy to leave you shaken and stirred

    ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

    The chips are down following Daniel Craig’s radical reinvention of British superspy 007 in the back-to-basics Casino Royale. The question is: what do we do now?

    Well, what they’ve done is provide the first direct Bond sequel, a taut, lean thriller which manages to shave a good half hour off the running time of the celebrated 2006 comeback.

    Director Marc Forster, who made his name with Monster’s Ball and Findng Neverland, provides richer characterisation–we’re beginning to see what makes Bond tick so violently–and also manages to make implausible scenarios starkly realistic. Without a gadget in sight.

    It helps that he’s got the team behind the last two Jason Bourne movies to provide the action–there’s double the destruction wrought in Casino Royale, kicking off with a sublime pre-credit car chase alongside Lake Garda with Bond’s Aston minus the driver’s door.

    Seeking the faceless killer behind the death of Vesper Lynd, 007 discovers he can trust no-one–not even MI6 or the CIA–and is left to pursue a solitary trail from Italy to London to Haiti, where he first meets his nemesis Dominic Greene (Amalric).

    Firmly dodging the villainous Bond stereotype, the devious Greene does not have a bleeding eye, pincers for hands or a third nipple. He’s French. And like the rapacious Gallic utility companies, he’s got his eye on everybody’s water supply.

    Taking the fizz out of his Perrier is Camille (Kurylenko), an unlikely ally for Bond who intends to use her connection with Greene to get to exiled Bolivian General Medrano (Joaquin Cosio), the man behind the brutal death of her family.

    Read on…

    Sky Movies


    Latest Bond shakes and stirs, but where’s the old humour?

    ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

    Among the main pleasures of an uneven Bond movie is Dench’s wonderful performance. She is more in evidence here than in her previous Bond movies and has a relationship with 007 that is maternal and flirtatious. Nothing flusters Dench’s M. In one tremendous scene, we see her running her bath and dabbing at her face with wipes as she gives orders to operatives around the world to curb Bond’s movements.

    Gemma Arterton is also good value as Agent Fields at the British consulate in Bolivia, a siren with a touch of St Trinians about her, saying “oh gosh” when she sends one of Greene’s henchmen flying.

    There is a tension at the heart of the movie. On the one hand, this is an out-and-out action flick. On the other, Forster (the director of arthouse hits such as Monster’s Ball and Stranger Than Fiction) is trying to show us the paranoia and loneliness of a homicidal spy’s life. The set-pieces are supposed to be exhilarating but also reveal Bond’s anger and bereavement. One of the film’s most ingenious scenes is when Bond interrupts the villains during a performance of Tosca at the Bregenz Festival House in Austria. While the performers are singing about love and vengeance on the stage, Bond is in the wings, fighting with Greene’s henchmen. Opera plots are often far-fetched and illogical. We shouldn’t be surprised that Bond movies are the same. At their best, they provide us with the same excitement and escapism.

    Quantum of Solace doesn’t seem like a major entry in the Bond canon. Well under two hours long, it’s shorter and more frenetic than most of its predecessors, and an often-jolting experience to watch. Loose ends about. What it does have, though, above all, is vigour. The franchise hasn’t run out of juice quite yet.

    Read on…

    The Independent


    This latest offering is not as groundbreaking as the 2006 prequel

    Her Majesty’s secret service agent has turned from a loved-up puppy to a ruthless killing machine.

    Nursing a broken heart, he is out to seek revenge for the death of his lover Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) with a licence to kill.

    This is a fast and furious Bond–high on action and exotic location, but still mean and moody (he still does not care if his vodka martini is shaken or stirred).

    For one thing he is too busy punching and kicking the living daylights out of everyone who crosses his path. One of the first scenes sees an angry Bond dripping with sweat in a car chase and sets the tone for the rest of the movie.

    “You look like hell. When was the last time you slept?” asks M. There’s no response from Bond. Need I say more.

    No-one can be trusted, and no-one and nothing is going to stop the new bullish and brutal Bond from exacting revenge.

    Read on…

    Express and Star


    A pacy, visually imaginative follow-up to the series relaunch

    ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

    Quantum Of Solace picks up moments after the credits rolled at the end of Casino Royale, with Daniel Craig’s bereaved and blooded Bond in Siena, wrecking his Aston Martin in a pre-credits car chase complicated by thick traffic, twisty mountain roads and emotional Italian drivers. In his car-boot, with a bullet in his leg, is Mr White (Jesper Christensen), a higher-up in the cartel (Quantum) which employed and then killed the baddie of the earlier film, and who Bond blames for the death of the girl he loved last time round. Mr White is taken to be grilled by M, just as the local horse race (the palio) is taking place (obviously, the filmmakers saw the documentary The Last Race too), only for the villain to sneer that MI6 and the CIA obviously know nothing about Quantum’s many well-placed agents, whereupon someone presumably trustworthy pulls a gun–and Bond is back in action, leaving wounded enemies and allies behind as he barges through crowds, runs up stairs, dangles from scaffolding and dodges swinging girders to get his man.

    In an era marked by franchise bloat, it’s entirely admirable that Quantum of Solace is the shortest Bond movie to date–it drops a great many of the long-running series mannerisms (callous quips, expository lectures, travelogue padding, Q and Moneypenny) as it globe-trots urgently from Italy to Haiti to Austria to Italy again to Bolivia to Russia with stopovers in London and other interzones. The major gadget on offer is a neat trick with a mobile phone, which the film trusts us to follow without a pompous lecture on how it works, and there’s a nod to traditionally absurd Bond girl names in Gemma Arterton’s Agent Fields–she refuses to give her real, silly, embarrassing name which we only find out from the end credits (it’s not Gracie or London). Everything in this movie is edited as if it were an action sequence, which means that when the set-pieces come they have to go into overdrive to stay ahead of the game, with Bourne veteran Dan Bradley staging more brutal, devastatingly fast fights and chases. We get striking locations (including primaeval caves and a South American desert) and absolutely gorgeous, stylised art direction–but there’s little lingering on the backdrops, since a brief establishing shot is usually enough to set up the nimble, nifty, explosive action that takes place against them.

    Previously, the Bond films have been a series, but this is an actual sequel–an approach Ian Fleming used in his books, but which was dropped from the movies because the novels were filmed out of order. This makes for a film which hits the ground running, but also means we get less to latch onto emotionally since Daniel Craig became the complete 007 over the course of Casino Royale, and here just has to be set loose. The sparks struck between the wounded hero and scarred heroine Camille–whose revenge-driven sub-plot owes a lot to July Havelock, the girl from the story For Your Eyes Only–don’t match those between Craig and Eva Green last time round because this Bond is human enough to start worrying about how regularly his girlfriends get killed. The slinky, sultry Olga Kurylenko is in fact so fixed on murdering her enemy that it’s possible she technically doesn’t even count as a Bond girl–she’s good, but doesn’t get the breakout showcase Green landed in Casino Royale. However, for the diehard romantics, Bond does tenderly hug a dying male friend before disposing of his corpse in a dumpster (‘he wouldn’t care’) and gives Camille handy tips on professionally assassinating the extremely unpleasant would-be dictator who slaughtered her family.

    Read on…

    Empire


    This polished follow-up ticks all the right boxes mayhem-wise. Shame the film as a whole is such a downer.

    ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

    “This man and I have unfinished business,” seethes James Bond through gritted teeth at the end of Quantum of Solace. The same might well be said for actor Daniel Craig, whose bold re-interpretation of Ian Fleming’s legendary spy in 2006’s Casino Royale left us all wondering where the series would go to next.

    The answer, in Marc Forster’s stylish contribution to the long-running franchise, is all over the shop. 007’s pursuit of the mysterious organisation who turned the late Vesper Lynd into a traitor sees him travel from the sewers and rooftops of Sienna to an arid desert in Bolivia to the busy straits of the Panama Canal and an elegant opera house in Austria. What we wouldn’t give for his frequent flyer miles, even if they would entail using Virgin Atlantic–one of several promotional partners whose goods and services get an ostentatious name-check.

    All this to-ing and fro-ing, however, does little to conceal the central weakness in this 22nd official Bond movie–a convoluted plot even a criminal mastermind would have trouble unravelling. Okay, we know that it has something to do with Dominic Greene (French actor Mathieu Amalric), a nefarious entrepreneur who plans to take control of South America’s dwindling water supply. What we’re not so sure about is why James should waste his time on such an unworthy adversary, or what it has to do with a still-baffling title no one even bothers explaining.

    Read on…

    MSN

    Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

  2. 'Quantum of Solace' Cast And Crew Video Interviews

    By Devin Zydel on 2008-10-27

    Just days before the theatre debut, catch up with the key cast and crew members of Quantum of Solace in a series of newly released video interviews.

    The following actors and crew members from the 22nd James Bond film briefly discuss their involvement as well as working alongside others:

    • Marc Forster – Director
    • Barbara Broccoli & Michael G. Wilson – Producers
    • Mathieu Amalric – “Dominic Greene”
    • Gemma Arterton – “Agent Fields”
    • Anatole Taubman – “Elvis”
    • Dame Judi Dench – “M”
    • Giancarlo Giannini – “Rene Mathis”
    • Jeffrey Wright – “Felix Leiter”
    • Jesper Christensen – “Mr. White”

    Marc Forster – Director

    On Locations…

    ‘There were a couple of locations I felt that were very, very one-of-a-kind. You know, there was the observatory in Chile, which I thought was a very unique location. The architecture and look of it set in the desert I really loved. I also loved that idea of having Bond in the desert because it would sort of isolate him from everything and you would feel like he is by himself, set in the desert. I think it would reflect Bond’s state of mind.’

    Watch online at YouTube.

    On Daniel Craig…

    ‘Initially when I first met him, we just spoke generally about Bond and got to know eachother and I just got this feeling that the two of us could work together really well and once I agreed to do the film and we sat down and started working on the script I proved to be right because he was so smart and so intelligent and we both saw eye-to-eye. We both had similar sensitivities towards the character and what the character should do and how he should act and react towards things. It was a very positive working relationship.’

    Watch online at YouTube.


    Barbara Broccoli & Michael G. Wilson – Producers

    On James Bond…

    ‘You know, in Casino Royale, he sort of started off as this military machine who was kind of hellbent on destruction. And of course, he met Vesper who stopped him in his tracks and he opened up emotionally to her and fell in love and was actually considering giving it all up to try and have a normal life. And with her death and her betrayal he decides at the end of that movie, when he says “the bitch is dead”, he just totally shuts down emotionally. This movie is about the conflict he has. The personal conflict within him versus the challenge to go out and find out who was behind it. And I think the emotional journey he’s on, by the end you really feel that he’s regained his humanity.’

    Watch online at YouTube.

    On Daniel Craig…

    ‘Ian Fleming wrote a very complex character in James Bond. So much so that the character’s been able to morph through the various actors who have played him and through various generations. In the books, he internalizes his feelings a lot and that is something that I think Daniel is able to portray, how Bond is feeling and thinking, without really saying very much.’

    Watch online at YouTube.

    On Mathieu Amalric…

    ‘He was the first person we met and we said “OK. That’s done. Got him.” And usually that’s one of the big problems, to get the right villain. And we hadn’t had anyone particular in mind. We didn’t have a specific view in mind. He just walked in and he mesmerized us. He’s just mesmerizing. In person and on the screen. He’s just extraordinary. One of the most extraordinary actors you could ever work with.’

    Watch online at YouTube.


    Mathieu Amalric – “Dominic Greene”

    ‘The bad and the good are inside James Bond because from Casino Royale, to be 007 it’s because you killed two persons. Is he an assassin or is he a secret agent? You feel that inside of Daniel Craig. He plays that. A sort of intimate struggle.’

    Watch online at YouTube.

    Gemma Arterton – “Agent Fields”

    On Her Role…

    ‘I play Agent Fields and she works for the consulate. She’s sent to just to send Bond on his way back home, but she ends up getting charmed by him and she sort of gets caught up in Bond’s business without really knowing what’s going on… and ends up in a sticky situation.’

    Watch online at YouTube.

    On Daniel Craig…

    ‘I was sort of nervous at first because I thought I’m a bit younger than Daniel and I think I’m one of the youngest Bond girls ever. And that’s quite intimidating. But when you’re actually there doing it, it’s quite fine and he’s a really nice down-to-earth guy.’

    Watch online at YouTube.


    Anatole Taubman – “Elvis”

    ‘Elvis is a weird character. He is just really something else. He loves his clothes, but he’s always a bit off with his taste, never really on. It’s never like “Wow! He looks really dashing!”, it’s more like “Wow! Um… OK…” So he’s always a bit off and worried about his look and very vain and in love with himself and overdramatic and thinks he’s all that, but he’s not all that. So yeah, Elvis is a very colourfu tapestry and it makes Mathieu (Amalric), who is my king in the film, Dominic Greene, it makes him shine more. And he can be proficient and subtle and precise.’

    Watch online at YouTube.


    Dame Judi Dench – “M”

    On The ‘M’/007 Relationship…

    ‘He’s kind of a loose canon in her eyes and has to prove really that he is somebody that she can trust. And that he trusts her.

    Watch online at YouTube.

    On Daniel Craig…

    ‘We knew eachother and you know, when you know an actor, it makes it that much easier. You understand how they work and they understand you can kind of shortcut things. He’s hugely good fun and unbelievably concentrated. It’s a great mixture.’

    Watch online at YouTube.


    Giancarlo Giannini – “Rene Mathis”

    ‘My character is the same as he was in Casino Royale. Mathis was ambiguous in that movie. It was difficult to understand if he was a good guy or a bad guy. The audience, even Bond, didn’t really know. But I think that a true spy is always more intriguing if he remains ambigous.’

    Watch online at YouTube.


    Jeffrey Wright – “Felix Leiter”

    ‘There’s a parallel between Felix and Bond in that they both share a common sense of right and wrong. Not necessarily based on an institutional idea, but based on their own morality and so in that way there’s a bonding between them. Felix acts out of that sensibility as opposed to the company line. I suppose that works to the advantage of everyone at the end of the day or maybe that’s giving too much away…’

    Watch online at YouTube.


    Jesper Christensen – “Mr. White”

    ‘This is sort of the second instalment of what happened in Casino Royale. That film ends by Bond shooting me in the knee and he has learned his lesson that you don’t kill people before you ask the questions. And this films starts five minutes after.’

    Watch online at YouTube.

    Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

  3. 'Quantum' Product Placement Reportedly Reaches 50 Million Pounds Mark

    By Devin Zydel on 2008-10-27

    As earlier reported on CommanderBond.net, numerous high-profile companies throughout the world were aligning themselves as marketing partners to the 22nd James Bond film, Quantum of Solace.

    'Quantum of Solace'

    Quantum of Solace

    Several of these include: Aston Martin, Ocean Sky Aviation, Ford Motors, Heineken beer, Smirnoff vodka, Omega watches, Virgin Atlantic, Coca-Cola, Sony Ericsson cell phones and other Sony electronics.

    According to the Scotsman, Quantum of Solace has already managed to earn an astonishing £50 million from these product placement deals.

    This number surpasses the previous Bond record of £44 million held by 2002’s Die Another Day (or ‘Buy Another Day’ as coined by one harsh critic of the 20 products promoted throughout the film).

    In comparison, Daniel Craig’s first 007 entry, 2006’s Casino Royale, cut down the number of promotional tie-ins to under 10 and managed to haul in £36 million from these marketing deals.

    Lucy Barrett, editor of Marketing magazine, called some of the deals in Quantum of Solace ‘undignified’.

    Olga Kurylenko is Camille

    Olga Kurylenko will drive a Ford Ka in Quantum of Solace

    She explained: ‘As part of Ford’s deal, in Casino Royale, our action hero had to drive a Ford Mondeo. This time around, Ford is using Quantum of Solace and a Bond girl to launch the updated Ka. It is aimed predominately at women, a largely untapped market for the Bond brand.’

    Commenting on the Avon ‘Bond Girl 007’ tie-in, which features Gemma Arterton, Barrett said: ‘It’s not the smoothest or cleverest of tie-ups, but we should expect more women-targeted brands to get on board.’

    As explained by Ocean Sky owner Kurosh Tehranchian, the chance to appear in a Bond film is definitely worth jumping on: ‘It was a major investment for us financially and in terms of plane usage but it is something we feel will be very worthwhile in terms of the exposure it gives us.’

    He continued: ‘The James Bond brand is unique. It is known worldwide, yet it is completely non-controversial: everyone likes it. It was something we felt we wanted to be associated with.’

    Andy Payne, global creative director of Interbrand, agreed, saying: ‘Companies will fight for the rights to be a partner in a James Bond film and they’ll pay considerable amounts of money to get the contract,’ he said. ‘Bond is cool and has kudos and that status rubs off on the products that he is seen to endorse.’

    ‘For a company like Ocean Sky this could be a very good move because even though they have given up the use of five of their jets for a week, they will view the money they will have lost as a good investment in terms of the amount of global brand identification they will achieve and the worldwide audience they will reach.’

    Keep your browsers pointed to the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

  4. Daniel Craig's 'Quantum of Solace' Expectations

    By Devin Zydel on 2008-10-27

    Three brief video interviews with Daniel Craig have been posted by Movie Maniacs TV through YouTube.

    Speaking about his second time around as 007 in Quantum of Solace the actor explained his expectations for the 22nd James Bond film.

    Daniel Craig as James Bond

    Daniel Craig as James Bond

    ‘To feel secure about where this is going,’ Craig said. ‘To feel secure that Bond is in a really healthy place. That we can be proud, as I am, that this is still this British character that still exists and still carries on. [The audience] will be blown away I hope because this is very intense. We’re not leaving a lot of time for people to breathe in this movie.’

    Craig also explained his approach towards stunts in the films, especially considering the level of action that comes with a Bond adventure.

    He said: ‘Traditionally, it’s always been that that’s what actors always do. You take movies back to Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin and that, you know, that’s what those guys did. They didn’t have doubles. They were the ones falling out the windows. They were the ones with the house falling on top of them. And I kind of feel that there’s a tradition there that if I can physically do it, I should be trying to keep up with that.’

    ‘I wouldn’t touch this [role] unless I could explore the character,’ Craig continued. ‘Otherwise this would have no interest to me. But let’s not get it wrong: this is a James Bond movie. This is not a deep, deep down psychological study of the human being. This is James Bond and there are certain rules that apply to this man. As far as he’s concerned, he’s the best at what he does and there’s nothing that can stop that.’

    ‘What I’ve always liked about it and what certainly comes through in the Ian Fleming books that here’s a man that believes that and then all the time gets knocked back. And it’s how he deals with that that’s interesting. How he deals with adversity; how he deals with being put down because he does get put down.’

    Click to watch online at YouTube: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

    Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

  5. 'Quantum of Solace' – What The Critics Said (Part I)

    By Devin Zydel on 2008-10-26

    Devin Zydel

    The first press screening of Quantum of Solace was held on Friday, 17 October at the Odeon cinema in London with journalists from numerous media outlets attending.

    Anticipation for Daniel Craig’s second James Bond adventure was at an all time high following the unstoppable success that Casino Royale sparked almost exactly two years ago, becoming the best reviewed 007 film of all time

    CommanderBond.net has compiled together an exhaustive list of various media reviews of Quantum of Solace–both the good and the bad.

    Read on to see if the 22nd Bond film lives up to expectactions…

    QUANTUM OF SOLACE

    WHAT THE CRITICS SAID (PART I)


    Wormy, arrogant villains, naked agents–latest film has it all

    ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

    James Bond is back, and this time it’s mighty personal. Daniel Craig’s craggy agent picks up exactly where he left off in another bruising thriller that leaves you feeling both drained and exhilarated.

    There are hand-to-hand fights that make your eyes water and old-school stunts involving motorbikes, speedboats, jet fighters and expensive cars that give you whiplash just looking at them. Really, nobody does it better than the new 007.

    What makes Marc Forster’s film such an intriguing watch is that this is the first of the 22 Bond movies where the plot flows organically from the last instalment, and Quantum of Solace looks a far stronger picture for this rare continuity.

    Needless to say the plot is as forbidding as the title. After the death of his girlfriend, Vesper Lynd, at the end of Casino Royale, Bond mixes revenge and duty dangerously as he hunts down the shadowy group that blackmailed Lynd to betray him.

    A link to a bank account in Haiti puts Bond on the scent of Mathieu Amalric’s chief creep and ruthless businessman, Dominic Greene. All great Bond adversaries are generously blessed with kinks and quirks and Greene is no different. Amalric has a wonderfully wormy arrogance.

    Read on…

    The Times


    Bond is badder, better but not bigger

    Clocking in at one and three-quarter hours, it’s a good half hour shorter than 007’s previous outing. And its reduced running time results in a leaner, tauter experience.

    Picking up shortly after the end of Casino Royale when Bond confronted the mysterious Mr White, Quantum of Solace quickly throws him into a round-the-globe hunt.

    Bond is trying to track down the shadowy organisation whom he holds responsible for the death of Vesper–the woman he loved and who died at the end of the last movie.

    And that leads him to sinister bad guy Dominic Greene, played by Mathieu Amalric.

    Emotional progression

    So far, so familiar. But what this film does differently is to focus closely on an emotionally battered Bond, his mission and his motivation.

    There are odd moments of uncertainty when the film tries to juggle Bond’s personal story with the ambitious plans being pursued by Greene.

    But for the most part the villainy rightly takes a back seat to Bond’s emotional journey.

    007’s mission may be what drives the film’s plot, but the real interest lies in how Bond deals with the individuals and situations he meets along the way.

    That’s not to say that the film jettisons all the things that have characterised the previous stories.

    There are broad nods to Goldfinger especially, but this film manages the difficult task of moving the franchise into interesting new areas.

    The raw nature of the film may put off some who yearn for the days of gizmos, gadgets and Bond quips as he dispenses with faceless opponents.

    Read on…

    BBC News


    Mystifying title, accident-prone production, awkward end-product… From blond Bond to bland Bond

    ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

    “A man is judged by the strength of his enemies…” M.

    Two films in, and Daniel Craig’s rookie 007 is racking ’em up nicely: African arms dealers, international terrorists, high-roller lowlifes, gangster bankers…

    But, with his girlfriend forced into suicide by the murky QUANTUM crime syndicate, can he outfox the hunters and still secretly serve Her Majesty through a tear-streaked sheen of melacholy flashbacks?

    Perhaps fearing a lovestruck Bond playing as a bit of a moper, and mindful of producer Barbara Broccoli’s promise of “twice as much action”, director Marc Forster has cranked the action up to 11 – and in some cases, 12.

    The lights have barely dimmed before we’re hurled straight into Bond threading the Aston along a dusty mountain road, scattering pursuers with machine-gun fire, screeching and swerving around oncoming tractors, skidding motorcyclists, fist-shaking locals…

    Then it’s Bond in a crowd-chase, Bond in a speedboat, Bond in a sewer pursuit (underneath a horserace)… Bond leaping over rooftops (like in Hulk), Bond on a motorbike, vaulting onto a boat… Bond in a dogfight, Bond in a fist-fight (in a lift, handcuffed, nailing a quadruple-captor takedown).

    Best is a Bond-vs-baddie clash on collapsing scaffolding which ends with both men jangling and dangling on chains, straining for their dropped weapons…

    But, since most of this is frontloaded into the first hour, the pace is fidgety and unsettled, with finger-drumming patches of muddled, talky, plot-exposition functioning as downtime while the stunt-guys set up the next sequence.

    With an over-caffeinated, Greengrass-lite, handheld style and a twitchy finger on the Big Explosion button, Forster has delivered a 24-nodding, Bourne-winking action flick which happens to have James Bond as the main character. And that isn’t really the same thing as a Bond movie. With 007, the pleasure is in the measure. This is shaken, stirred, whisked and centrifuged. Even Craig looks dizzy.

    Read on…

    Total Film


    Craig inhabits the character with a ruthless charisma that never lets up. And he, above all, keeps you watching.

    In this much darker film, picking up from where Casino Royale left off, 007 finds himself after two people: the man who fatally betrayed Vesper Lynd, the woman he loved; and Dominic Greene (bullfrog-eyed Mathieu Amalric), a big player in the sinister organisation that blackmailed her, now striking a shady deal in some Bolivian desert.

    For half an hour or so after the pre-credits “teaser”, the film barely lets up.

    An interrogation-gone-wrong leads to a cracking foot-chase across Siena’s rooftops–particularly Bourne, this one.

    And this, in turn, morphs into a brilliantly shot fight on a building-restoration platform. Giddy stuff.

    And then, the pacing becomes more fractured. One wonders if director Marc Forster and screenwriters Paul Haggis and Neal Purvis haven’t tried a little too hard to distance the film from traditional Bond plots. The expository dialogue scenes can be dull, and cram in so many machinations and double-crossings that it’s easy to lose track of who’s duping whom.

    And yet, several times–just when you’re tempted to consult your watch–the movie suddenly surprises.

    Read on…

    Telegraph


    A Quantum of Nonsense

    ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

    The 22nd Bond picture is the shortest yet, but feels like one of the longest.

    About an hour in, I began to feel something I haven’t for quite a few years in a Bond film–bored.

    That’s because the script makes very little sense. We rarely know how or why Bond is doing what he is, or going where he is.

    The script makes such huge leaps of geography and motivation that whole scenes of exposition must have been left on the cuttingroom floor. The resulting film is as meaningless as its title.

    If we don’t marvel at Bond’s ability to extract the information he needs, and he becomes just a running, chasing, killing machine, that removes a large part of why he’s attractive.

    Daniel Craig looks extremely cool, and he has always been a strong actor, but he’s never able to show us the depth he did in Casino Royale.

    In his second outing as 007, he sets about using his licence to kill, in no uncertain manner. So set is he on vengeance that he makes Rambo look like a pussycat.

    That monotony of callousness may be very modern, but it’s the reason Timothy Dalton never quite worked as Bond–he lacked wit and humour.

    Craig showed in Casino Royale that he can play comedy, but he’s lost without help from the script.

    The gags have gone, along with the gadgets. Wit and fun have deserted the franchise.

    Read on…

    Daily Mail


    Quantum of Solace is a superb action film but only a ‘good’ Bond movie.

    The twenty-second Bond film arrives amidst huge expectations and it is a curious work, with some stunning set pieces amidst a flurry of extraneous action scenes. This would be the first time in the franchise’s history that a Bond film be a direct sequel to its predecessor, Casino Royale, itself a strong adaptation of the Fleming novel.

    However, insisting on taking the character on an extended journey from Royale, screenwriters Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis have concocted a rather dark and sinister tale and a consistently darker interpretation of the character that was never part of either the Fleming basis of the character or previous interpretations from Sean Connery to Timothy Dalton. Craig’s 007 is a little lighter in tone than in Royale but his thirst for revenge plays havoc with an iconic character who, in Solace, is very grim. Of course the Bond films have never been about character development, and this one is no exception.

    The film opens with a frenetic car chase through the back streets of Sienna, Italy and while it opens with a bang, not a whimper, its fast cutting visual approach employed by director Marc Forster doesn’t serve the film that well. One has the distinct feeling that the opening is a generic action film and takes some time for it to settle into a Bond-like rhythm. Once it does so, Quantum of Solace evolves into a fine work, offering some verbal drollery that Casino Royale lacked.

    There are some stunning set pieces in Solace that prove what a formidable filmmaker Forster is, including a collage sequence during the staging of an opera which is beautifully done, counterbalancing the tragedy of that Puccini opera with gun play between Bond and those that make up this secret Quantum organization that Bond is trying to pull down.

    There is an extraordinary mid-air chase sequence which is breathtaking, and cinematographer Roberto Schaefer, a frequent collaborator of Forster’s, knows how to shoot in the film’s disparate locations, accentuating a striking visual tone for the major locales that range from Haiti to earthly browns that represent Bolivia. Sharply edited by Matt Chesse, who cut many of Forster’s films including the likes of Kite Runner and Finding Neverland, edits with precision, and Forster’s direction is crisp.

    Read on…

    Dark Horizons


    Quantum of Solace is little else than action with scant room for charm, comedy or seduction

    ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

    It was always going to be tough to follow Casino Royale. Not only did the last Bond sweep out the cobwebs of the franchise and introduce Daniel Craig as a leaner, meaner, less camp 007 but after its success the producers went a step further and hired a ‘proper’ director, Marc Forster, known for quiet works such as The Kite Runner and Finding Neverland, to keep the momentum going. The final break with tradition was that Quantum of Solace (named after, but not based on a 1960 Ian Fleming short story) would be a sequel to Casino Royale, with the action beginning just an hour after the curtain fell on the last one, with Bond seething with anger and revenge following the death of his lover, Vesper.

    As if the stakes weren’t high enough, all the pre-release chatter had Forster and others talking so much of character, psychology, story and drama that you’d be forgiven for forgetting that Bond is first and foremost an action hero who thrives on a stage of crashes, bangs and wallops.

    You won’t forget for long: Quantum of Solace is little else than action with scant room for charm, comedy or seduction. It’s the shortest Bond ever but with the same amount of airborne, watery and rooftop high jinx. The result? Lots of noise, little story, fantastic sets (although no fantastic sex: the one classic lovemaking scene is ruthlessly, almost perversely, cut short.)

    It starts as it goes on: loudly and relentlessly, stylishly and superficially. A brilliant helicopter shot glides us over an Italian lake to find Bond tearing along a lakeside road, in and out of tunnels. It turns out he’s got Jesper Christensen’s Mr White in the boot. So that’s his first motivation revealed for a killing spree that takes in Italy, Haiti, Austria and Bolivia: vengeance. The second reason emerges soon enough: the blossoming of an undetected organisation with tentacles (and double agents) all over the globe and linked to Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), an environmentalist who you suspect may not care much about ice caps. Amalric is slippery and creepy; but his creaky, strangely mute storyline doesn’t live up to his performance.

    Read on…

    Time Out


    Quantum of Solace plays like an extended footnote to Casino Royale rather than a fully realized stand-alone movie

    Though pic is the first in the series in which the action follows directly from the previous film, the differences in tone, look and tempo are instantly apparent. As the camera zooms across northern Italy’s Lake Garda to pick out Bond (Daniel Craig) being chased in his Aston Martin by armed villains, it’s clear that the elegance of the franchise that Royale director Martin Campbell resuscitated is already a thing of the past. Even David Arnold’s music seems to punch the clock rather than elevating the visuals.

    Thanks to his sheer physical prowess, Craig–less muscular this time around, and more panther-like–still manages to make the character look as if he’s in control, even when he’s being hunted by various villains and at least two major spook agencies, and even though seems to have suffered a personality bypass. However, the plot is unengaging: basically a grim series of near-escapes as Bond hunts (but is mostly hunted) between Latin America and Europe.

    From the grittier lensing by Forster regular Roberto Schaefer, through the distractingly antsy editing by Matt Chesse and Richard Pearson, to the close-up second-unit work by Dan Bradley, Quantum has a generic, in-your-face functionality and a restlessness that just wants to push the movie on to the next chase/shootout/slugfest, rather than–in the traditional Bond way–relishing the spaces in between.

    Part of this different feel is simply due to the pic’s brevity: At 105 minutes, it’s the shortest Bond of all, four minutes shorter than even Dr. No and Goldfinger and 39 minutes shorter than its immediate predecessor. However, it’s a also a direct product of Forster’s staffing: Both Pearson and Bradley worked on the Bourne films, while the former was Oscar-nommed for United 93.

    Still, none of this matters in the early reels, as the opening 15 minutes sweep the viewer along in a genuine adrenaline rush. Bond arrives, bloody but unbowed, in Siena, Tuscany (during the famous Palio horse race, natch); attends the interrogation, with M (Judi Dench), of Mr. White (Jesper Christensen), his captive from the end of Royale; and pursues an assassin across the city’s tiled rooftops. So far, so good, if a little different.

    Read on…

    Variety

    As always, keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

  6. James Bond Seeking Solace At The Box Office

    By Devin Zydel on 2008-10-26
    'Quantum of Solace'

    Quantum of Solace

    As we enter the final week leading up to the world premiere of Quantum of Solace, all eyes have been turning to the numerous advanced reviews for the 22nd James Bond film and box office predictions are starting to roll in.

    According to the Times, Daniel Craig’s second 007 film is going to have its work cut out for it in terms of matching the astronomical success of Casino Royale two years ago.

    Record-breaking and box office seemed to go hand-in-hand when it came to describing Casino Royale‘s success. It managed a spot in the all time biggest UK weekend openings with a £13.5 million (about $25.5 million) take (even it’s UK opening day profit of £1.7 million [about $3.4 million] was a record for the Bond series).

    Casino Royale then went on to become the sixth highest grossing film of all time in the UK with a final gross of £55.3 million (~$109 million), the highest grossing Bond film in the US, the most successful Bond film overseas and–to be expected–the highest grossing Bond film of all time, with a grand total of $594 million. Extensive coverage of Casino Royale at the box office is located here.

    Naturally, distributor Sony Pictures will be keeping a close eye on Quantum‘s opening weekend in the UK to see how it measures up.

    Do you have any predictions of James Bond at the box-office? Sound off here on the CBn Forums.

    Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

  7. Daniel Craig Talks 007 On Friday Night With Jonathan Ross

    By Devin Zydel on 2008-10-25

    The James Bond parade on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross continues.

    Daniel Craig

    Daniel Craig

    Following up the recent appearance by Sir Roger Moore on the show to promote his recently released autobiogaphy, My Word is My Bond, the featured guest for last night’s episode was the current 007–Daniel Craig.

    Starting the interview off with an action-packed clip from Quantum of Solace, Ross quipped: ‘I think you’ll find that ticks all the boxes.’

    Still stuck in the sling he’s had to wear to other recent Bond interviews and events, Craig explained the situation and was then asked what locations around the world the 22nd Bond film visits: ‘We went to Panama, we went to Chile, we were in Italy, we were in Austria, London, um, that’ll do.’

    When the buzz surrounding the film’s title was brought up (no surprise there), Craig explained: ‘It’s always difficult process trying to figure out what it will be called. We had Casino Royale–we had the book, there was no argument there. It comes to this and we wanted to try and remain faithful to Ian Fleming and there’s this story about Bond having a discussion with this retired general about falling in love and the fact that when you fall in love, you fall out of love because there’s this one bit in the relationship that if it’s not there, it’s all over; and he calls in the quantum of solace. A little bit of peace, a little bit of calm.’

    There’s much more, including some rather interesting ideas for what Bond 23 will eventually be titled, Craig’s 40th birthday and what does during his breaks from Bond.

    Visit Youtube here and here to view the entire Daniel Craig interview.

    Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

  8. 'Quantum of Solace' TV Spot #007 Airs

    By Devin Zydel on 2008-10-25

    Make the wait for Quantum of Solace go by just a little bit quicker by treating yourself to another 30-second dose of 007.

    A new TV spot for the 22nd James Bond adventure has made its way online. Featuring dialogue between Daniel Craig’s Bond, Camille (Olga Kurylenko) and Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), much of the film’s frenetic action is also showcased.

    Click below to view:

    Stay up-to-date with complete James Bond coverage at CommanderBond.net–your #1 source for all the latest Quantum of Solace clips and news.

  9. 'Quantum of Solace' Worldwide Release Dates

    By Devin Zydel on 2008-10-24

    CommanderBond.net brings you the worldwide release dates for Quantum of Solace, the 22nd James Bond film featuring Daniel Craig as 007.

    Readers are advised that there are occasionally additions and/or slight changes in the upcoming months as further dates are revealed.

    Article originally posted: 9 February 2008
    Last updated on: 24 October 2008

    Quantum of Solace Worldwide Release Dates

    Worldwide Premiere

    Worldwide Premiere …… 29 October 2008

    North America

    Canada …… 14 November 2008
    United States …… 14 November 2008

    Latin America

    América Central …… 7 November 2008
    Argentina …… 6 November 2008
    Bolivia …… 6 November 2008
    Brazil …… 7 November 2008
    Chile …… 6 November 2008
    Colombia …… 7 November 2008
    Ecuador …… 7 November 2008
    Mexico …… 14 November 2008
    Peru …… 19 November 2008
    Uruguay …… 26 December 2008
    Venezuela …… 5 December 2008

    Europe

    Austria …… 7 November 2008
    Belgium …… 5 November 2008
    Bulgaria …… 7 November 2008
    Croatia …… 6 November 2008
    Czech Republic …… 6 November 2008
    Denmark …… 7 November 2008
    Estonia …… 7 November 2008
    Finland …… 7 November 2008
    France …… 31 October 2008
    Germany …… 6 November 2008
    Greece …… 6 November 2008
    Hungary …… 13 November 2008
    Iceland …… 7 November 2008
    Italy …… 7 November 2008
    Latvia …… 7 November 2008
    Lithuania …… 7 November 2008
    Netherlands …… 6 November 2008
    Norway …… 7 November 2008
    Poland …… 7 November 2008
    Portugal …… 6 November 2008
    Romania …… 7 November 2008
    Russia …… 6 November 2008
    Serbia & Montenegro …… 6 November 2008
    Slovakia …… 6 November 2008
    Slovenia …… 6 November 2008
    Spain …… 21 November 2008
    Sweden …… 31 October 2008
    Switzerland (French) …… 5 November 2008
    Switzerland (German) …… 6 November 2008
    Switzerland (Italian) …… 7 November 2008
    Turkey …… 7 November 2008
    Ukraine …… 6 November 2008
    United Kingdom …… 31 October 2008

    Asia Pacific

    Australia …… 19 November 2008
    China …… 5 November 2008
    Hong Kong …… 6 November 2008
    India …… 7 November 2008
    Indonesia …… 5 November 2008
    Japan …… 24 January 2009
    Korea …… 5 November 2008
    Malaysia …… 6 November 2008
    New Zealand …… 27 November 2008
    Philippines …… 5 November 2008
    Singapore …… 5 November 2008
    Taiwan …… 7 November 2008
    Thailand …… 5 November 2008
    Vietnam …… 14 November 2008

    Middle East / Africa

    Bahrain …… 6 November 2008
    Egypt …… 5 November 2008
    Ethiopia …… 7 November 2008
    Israel …… 6 November 2008
    Jordan …… 5 November 2008
    Kenya …… 7 November 2008
    Kuwait …… 6 November 2008
    Lebanon …… 6 November 2008
    Nigeria …… 7 November 2008
    Oman …… 6 November 2008
    Qatar …… 6 November 2008
    South Africa …… 19 November 2008
    Syria …… 6 November 2008
    United Arab Emirates …… 6 November 2008

    Originally announced release dates:
    Argentina: 4 Dec 2008/11 Dec 2008
    Bahrain: 5 Nov 2008
    Canada: 7 Nov 2008
    France: 5 Nov 2008
    Hungary: 6 Nov 2008
    Korea: 6 Nov 2008
    Mexico: 7 Nov 2008
    New Zealand: 4 Dec 2008
    Oman: 5 Nov 2008
    Peru: 6 Nov 2008/19 Dec 2008
    Singapore: 6 Nov 2008
    Spain: 7 Nov 2008
    Sweden: 7 Nov 2008
    Switzerland (Italian): 14 Nov 2008
    South Africa: 28 Nov 2008/21 Nov 2008
    Thailand: 6 Nov 2008
    USA: 7 Nov 2008

    Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

  10. The Duality Of James Bond

    By Devin Zydel on 2008-10-24

    As was the case two years ago for Casino Royale, Parade Magazine has scored an interview with Daniel Craig.

    'Casino Royale'

    Daniel Craig is James Bond in Casino Royale

    Meeting for the interview in a Soho neighborhood, one is immediately struck by a change in circumstances from two years ago, when Parade asked if the actor was ‘ready to become the world’s sexiest spy’. And then Casino Royale opened and became one of, if not the best reviewed James Bond film of all time. It’s worldwide gross of $594 million also placed it in the #1 box office spot for the series.

    As for the sex symbol status, Craig says now it doesn’t phase him. ‘If people want to think of me that way, that’s great. But the truth is, I don’t have a connection with that image.’

    ‘I was being objectified, but actually that’s not a bad thing to feel,’ he says with a laugh when asked about that swimming trunks photo that somehow seems to creep into every Bond-related inteview. ‘I knew exactly what was going on when I did that shot. There’s a conscious decision to everything I do. For me to say, “Oh, God! I didn’t realize that would happen!’ sounds incredibly naïve. I look at that picture, and my only thought now is that I certainly don’t look like that anymore. For Quantum of Solace, I made a decision that I wanted to get bigger and get muscles, because Bond is older and has probably been training.’

    Two years on since his 007 debut, Craig admits that his life has definitely changed. ‘I was at a stage of my career in which things were going pretty well,’ he says. ‘I was making plenty of money, relatively speaking–enough to live on. But when this opportunity came along, I knew it would turn everything upside-down. I’m 40 now. It really helped me put things in perspective. It wasn’t about the money. It was about changing things up and seeing what would happen. At some point, life starts to pass you by and becomes about avoidance. I want to stay clear from that situation, because I don’t like that.’

    With Quantum of Solace due out in theatres in less than a week, Craig points out the importance of examining the role of Bond from a different angle.

    ‘The question I keep asking myself while playing the role is, “Am I the good guy or just a bad guy who works for the good side?” Bond’s role, after all, is that of an assassin when you come down to it. I have never played a role in which someone’s dark side shouldn’t be explored. I don’t think it should be confusing by the end of the movie, but during the movie you should be questioning who he is.’

    Daniel Craig is James Bond

    Daniel Craig is James Bond

    When asked about the level of masculinity apparent in his numerous onscreen roles (and why it appeals to so many), Craig says: ‘There are people on this planet where you go, “Oops, no, I don’t even want to look that person in the eye”. And that real scariness is not something I’m capable of. That’s something maybe De Niro is capable of at his best. But that’s not me. As tough a role as I have to play, I’m always just me. It’s good to be in touch with as much of yourself as possible. Otherwise, you’re a rather one-note performer. Who wants to be the tough guy and nothing else?’

    Taking a note from that reply, the interviewer then asked if Craig could identify himself with one of the typical tough-guy antecedents in Hollywood–Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, James Cagney and so on.

    ‘The obvious choice for me would be Bogart,’ he replies. ‘Not only because of that ease he had with his unique take on masculinity, but also–and this is much more important–because he got to sleep with Lauren Bacall.’

    Finally, with the US election approaching, Craig was asked who he thought would be a more suitable James Bond.

    Not hesitating for a second, he says: ‘Obama would be the better Bond because–if he’s true to his word–he’d be willing to quite literally look the enemy in the eye and go toe-to-toe with them. McCain, because of his long service and experience, would probably be a better M. There is, come to think of it, a kind of Judi Dench quality to McCain.’

    He’s not as quick to reply to the Michelle Obama or Cindy McCain as the Bond girl question, however. ‘Oh, now you’ve crossed the line,’ he says, laughing. ‘That’s much too dangerous a question. Can’t we go back to talking about Lauren Bacall?’

    This latest issue, subtitled ‘The Man Who Loves Being Bad’ will be available in most Sunday newspapers from 26 October.

    Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.