New 'Quantum' Clip: The Bell Tower

WARNING: Spoilers

Just hours before Quantum of Solace goes on general release in the UK, a new clip from the 22nd James Bond film has hit the net.

Originally broadcast on 28 October special ‘Film 2008: Quantum of Solace’ on BBC1, this brief clip highlights a section of the chase between Daniel Craig’s 007 and the traitorous Henry Mitchell (played by Glenn Foster).

Most Bond fans will recognize a portion of the sequence that was featured in the film’s trailer. 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.

Michael G. Wilson: 'Bond 23' Work To Begin Early Next Year

Quantum of Solace premiered last night to what was no doubt a rousing reception – and promised that “James Bond will return”.

Speaking to Heart 106.2, 007 producer Michael G. Wilson revealed that preliminary work will start on Daniel Craig’s third James Bond film early next year.

Wilson told the station, “Last time when we were in post production on Casino Royale we were already working on Quantum of Solace.”

“This time we haven’t started, but in January we are going to get some writers together and start kicking some ideas around.”

Quantum of Solace‘s script was penned by Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, all of whom also worked on Casino Royale (although Quantum received an additional script polish by newcomer Joshua Zetumer). Purvis and Wade previously worked on scripts for The World Is Not Enough (alongside Bruce Feirstein), Die Another Day and the aborted Jinx spin-off film.

Whether any of these writers will return for Bond 23 remains unclear.

Someone who might return, though, is Olga Kurylenko, who plays Camille in Quantum of Solace. Producer Barbara Broccoli told Heart, “I think she’s a spectacular actress and she’s done an amazing job in this movie. She blew us away. We would certainly love to have her back. If it’s not in the next movie, then certainly in the future.”

“He’s got to come back, we’re not going to let him go.” – Barbara Broccoli on Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig, however, isn’t going anywhere: Broccoli told Heart, “Oh, please! Are you kidding? He’s got to come back, we’re not going to let him go. Are you crazy?”

“He is the greatest Bond right now and the people love him,” Wilson reiterated.

Bond 23 has yet to have a release date announced, nor does it have a director attached (Marc Forster has repeatedly stated he will not return). Quantum of Solace was first announced in July 2006, even though work on a script began as early as October 2005.

Last year, it was reported that Sony were eyeing a 2010 release date for the film, while Daniel Craig has been playing down his next outing as the famous spy, stating last week that “there is nothing scheduled” for Bond 23.

Since 1995’s GoldenEye, the Bond films have been released during the winter. However, Quantum of Solace was initially announced with a May release date (which was later postponed), proving that a summer opening is not out of the question.

Stay tuned to CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date James Bond news on the web.

Ian Fleming's 'Quantum of Solace' Hardback Now Shipping

Following up the paperback release at the beginning of the month, 007 fans in the UK can now get their hands on the hardback edition of Ian Fleming’s Quantum of Solace.

Identical content-wise to the recently released Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories collection, this forthcoming release brings together the nine 007 short stories that make up the For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy & The Living Daylights collections).

Hardback cover | Paperback cover

Bond fans can currently order this hardback edition, retailing at £20.00, online at Amazon.co.uk.

• Order the UK hardback edition of Quantum of Solace from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the UK paperback edition of Quantum of Solace from Amazon.co.uk

Keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page for the most complete literary James Bond coverage on the web.

To keep track of all the upcoming 007 releases, events, television shows, and more–just keep your eyes on the CBn Calendar, located on the right panel of our main page.

Paperback Editions Of Daniel Craig Biographies Now Available

As earlier announced on CommanderBond.net, this month sees the release of two paperback biographies of the current 007–Daniel Craig.

Daniel O’Brien’s Daniel Craig – Ultimate Professional and Sarah Marshall’s Daniel Craig: The Biography are currently both shipping from Amazon.co.uk.

Both titles originally debuted in hardback in the UK towards the end of 2007 and in early 2008 for the US.

O’Brien’s Daniel Craig – Ultimate Professional is published by Reynolds & Hearn and retails for £8.99:

YOU KNOW HIS NAME – not only as the latest James Bond in Casino Royale, but also as XXXX in Layer Cake, Ben Driscoll in The Invasion and Lord Asriel in The Golden Compass. Yet Daniel Craig has long been recognised as one of the best British actors of his generation, a committed professional who is passionate about his work and has often shunned the lure of easy money in Hollywood blockbusters in favour of more challenging roles in low-budget European films.

Daniel Craig – Ultimate Professional takes an in-depth look at the career of the pub landlord’s son who made his acting debut at the age of six and rose to prominence through roles such as the tormented Geordie Peacock in Our Friends In The North, the schizophrenic Ray in Some Voices, the mercenary archeologist Alex West in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, the amorous carpenter Darren in The Mother, and the murderous Perry Smith in Infamous.

Fully illustrated throughout, Daniel Craig – Ultimate Professional also includes 16 pages of colour photos of the actor who was voted the sexiest man in the world in a recent poll.

Marshall’s Daniel Craig: The Biography is published by John Blake Publishing Ltd and will retail for £7.99:

He’s gorgeous, tremendously talented, charming and sexy. His breathtaking performance as the new James Bond in Casino Royale won him legions of fans and proved that, as well as being an outstanding actor; he could cut it as an action hero and could re-define a cinematic icon to huge critical acclaim. Daniel Craig, arguably the most inspiring 007, has truly made it as an A-list film star. This fascinating and affectionate book reveals everything about Britain’s favourite leading man: how he endured poverty-stricken years when he was first struggling to make it as an actor in London; how he rejected the ‘trivial’ publicity that came when he started to make a name for himself; his relationships, including his marriage to a British actress with whom he has a daughter; plus his encounters with Sienna Miller and Kate Moss and how he has handled the adulation that has come from his new role as 007. This is the intriguing story of a supremely talented actor who has established his reputation, then defied expectations and silenced those who doubted his Bond would live up to its predecessors. It is essential reading for any Daniel Craig admirer and for the masses of film fans for whom his performance as Bond was an unforgettable cinematic experience.

Order the paperback editions:

• Order the UK paperback edition of Daniel Craig: The Biography from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the UK paperback edition of Daniel Craig – Ultimate Professional from Amazon.co.uk

Order the hardback editions:

• Order the UK hardback edition of Daniel Craig: The Biography from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the UK hardback edition of Daniel Craig – Ultimate Professional from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the US hardback edition of Daniel Craig: The Biography from Amazon.com
• Order the US hardback edition of Daniel Craig – Ultimate Professional from Amazon.com

Stay tuned to CommanderBond.net for all the latest literary James Bond news.

Champagne Bollinger Shares The Big Screen With James Bond

Champagne Bollinger Once Again Shares the Big Screen with Agent 007

QUANTUM OF SOLACE Extends Lengthy Bond-Bollinger Partnership

Adding another installment to one of the most enduring marketing collaborations in motion picture history, Champagne Bollinger will partner with Quantum of Solace, the James Bond adventure releasing in theatres worldwide November 2008.

The partnership marks the 11th Bond film in which Champagne Bollinger has been featured as 007’s Champagne of choice, beginning with Moonraker in 1979.

William Terlato, President and Chief Executive Officer of Terlato Wines International, the exclusive importer of Champagne Bollinger for the United States noted, “We believe that this collaboration is the longest-running brand marketing partnership in film industry history.”

The relationship began when the Broccoli-Wilson family, producers of the Bond films, sought a wine to match Bond’s impeccable taste and refined personality. Not surprisingly, they chose Champagne Bollinger, long acknowledged as one of the world’s finest Champagnes. A mutual friendship developed between the Broccoli-Wilson family and the Bollinger family, and Champagne Bollinger has remained a Bond favorite.

“Movie audiences make the connection between a character they admire and the fine wine he enjoys, Champagne Bollinger,” says Jerome Philipon, president of Champagne Bollinger. “This kind of high-impact exposure will help us to continue to expand awareness, sales and distributorship worldwide.”

Daniel Craig reprises his role as Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 in Quantum of Solace, the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures/Columbia Pictures release of EON Productions 22nd adventure in the longest running film franchise in motion picture history. The film is produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli and directed by Marc Forster. The screenplay was written by Paul Haggis and Neal Purvis & Robert Wade.

Founded in 1829, Champagne Bollinger introduced the world to an instantly recognizable, dry, toasty style that connoisseurs around the globe covet. Six generations of the Bollinger family have maintained the trademark style of their namesake Champagne and it is one of a few remaining Grand Marque houses owned, controlled and managed by the same family since the brand’s founding.
Bollinger relies on its own estate for more than 60 percent of its grape requirements, including the Pinot Noir that gives its Champagne much of its distinctive strength and structure. Bollinger is one of a select few houses that can control the quality of its grape supply so carefully. Bollinger is renowned for its use of traditional methods that include extensive use of Pinot Noir, individual vinification of each marc and cru, barrel fermentation and extra aging of all of its Champagnes on the lees prior to disgorgement.

About Terlato Wines International:

Terlato Wines International has a global portfolio of 50 brands from a host of world-class wine producers and presently markets more than one out of eight bottles of wine over $14 sold in America. Terlato, with more 90+ ratings than any wine company in the world, is the flagship company of the Terlato Wine Group, the parent company of several independent businesses specializing in the marketing and production of exceptional wines. Owned and operated by the Terlato family, the Group also includes the family’s winery investments and partnerships in some of the world’s most esteemed wine regions, including: Napa Valley; Sonoma County; Santa Barbara County; Victoria, Australia; the Rhone Valley in France; and Montalcino, Italy.

The Terlato Wines International portfolio of brands includes: Napa Valley: Brandlin, Chimney Rock, Cuvaison Estate Wines, Luke Donald Collection, Markham Vineyards, Rutherford Hill, Tangley Oaks, Terlato Family Vineyards and Two Hands-Napa Valley; Sonoma County: Alderbrook, Hanna, Rochioli and Terlato Family Vineyards; Santa Barbara County: Sanford and Tangley Oaks; California Appellation: Glass Mountain and Seven Daughters; Oregon: Sokol Blosser; Italy: Baglio di Pianetto, Ca’ del Bosco, Ca’ Marcanda (Gaja Toscana), Florio Martinez Marsala, Gaja, Il Poggione, Kettmeir, Mazzoni (Toscana), Santa Margherita, Tiramisu, Torresella and Distillatori Nonino (Grappa); France: Champagne Bollinger, M. Chapoutier, Chateau des Laurets (Rothschild), Domaine Chanson, Josmeyer, Langlois-Chateau and Mischief and Mayhem; Australia: Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier, Domaine Tournon and Two Hands; Argentina: Tamari; Canada: Peller Estates Icewine; Greece: Boutari; New Zealand: Wairau River; South Africa: Cirrus, Guardian Peak, Engelbrecht-Els, Ernie Els Signature and Rust En Vrede; Spain: Olvena; Switzerland: Xellent Swiss Vodka; Japan: Shimizu-No-Mai Sake. For more information, visit http://www.terlatowines.com.

About EON Productions

EON Productions/Danjaq, LLC, is owned by the Broccoli family and has produced twenty-two James Bond films since 1962, including Quantum of Solace. The James Bond films, produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, make up the longest running franchise in film history and include the recent blockbuster films GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, Die Another Day and Casino Royale. EON Productions and Danjaq LLC, are affiliate companies and control all worldwide merchandising of the James Bond franchise.

About Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures, part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.

About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., through its operating subsidiaries, is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world’s largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., Ventanazul, MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Domestic Networks LLC, MGM Distribution Co, MGM International Television Distribution Inc, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Worldwide Digital Media, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in international TV channels reaching nearly 120 countries. MGM ownership is as follows: Providence Equity Partners (29%), TPG (21%), Sony Corporation of America (20%), Comcast (20%), DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (7%) and Quadrangle Group (3%). For more information, visit http://www.mgm.com.

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

Forster On 'Quantum of Solace': It Should Be Like A Bullet

In less than two days the long wait for James Bond fans will finally be up as Quantum of Solace goes on general release in the UK.

With 2006’s Casino Royale being the highest grossing and best reviewed film in the 007 series to date, the pressure is definitely on for Quantum of Solace to deliver.

‘If this film doesn’t become a commercial success, I’m going to be on a very long vacation,’ laughs the German-born, Swiss-raised filmmaker in an interview with The Scotsman one day before the world premiere in London (which took place just a few hours ago).

As Forster has stated on previous occassions, it took a bit of persuading to convince him to helm a blockbuster Bond film.

He said: ‘It was only when I met Daniel that I was inspired enough to take it. I thought he was incredible. Then I got on a plane to Italy and I thought, what am I doing? Am I crazy? I started thinking maybe I should talk to Barbara and Michael and pull out because I was frightened. There was no script and suddenly I was scouting the world for Bond locations, going, OK, we could shoot here, here, here and here, and all I had was a release date in my head. It was intense.’

Still, Forster managed to survive the film’s grueling production schedule and deliver the shortest and perhaps most action-packed Bond film ever.

‘I just wanted this to be a much shorter film,’ said Forster. ‘Casino Royale was way too long for my taste; that poker game was really slow, so I wanted to make this a really tight and fast film. It should be like a bullet.’

Daniel Craig then arrived and after answering Bond-related questions all day long, he cut right to the chase when asked about his interpretation of 007: ‘I genuinely just nicked a lot of stuff from Ian Fleming.’

‘His Bond is very psychological: he thinks, he’s morally ambiguous, he’s an assassin, he kills people for a living; at the same time he always gets his man and goes after the bad guys. But there’s no deep and meaningful thing here. I don’t approach it like some big dramatic piece.’

I think I’m only borrowing it, don’t you?’ Craig added. ‘This is all great, but I think someone else is going to come along and hopefully do a better job than I’ve done. It’s not mine. It’s Ian Fleming’s, it’s the Broccolis’–I could say I’m the caretaker, but that’s a really naff thing to say.’

For now, however, Craig stressed the importance of putting everything into the performance. ‘It’s hard to believe, but there is a generation of people who don’t know the Bond movies,’ he said. ‘They haven’t watched them the way I watched them growing up, so just saying the lines and introducing the characters and expecting them to understand who these people are would have been the wrong thing to do. But I do think that means we can do anything in the next Bond movie. We can introduce Moneypenny and Q back into it, I think we’ve just got to get the best actors we can find, and ask them to do the best job.’

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.

'Quantum of Solace' Premiere Photos/Video

The stars turned up for the grand world premiere of Quantum of Solace at the Odeon Cinema in London’s Leicester Square earlier tonight.

Cast and crew members from the 22nd James Bond film walked the red carpet along with Princes William and Harry, with proceeds from the event going towards the Help For Heroes and The Royal British Legion charities.

Attendees included Daniel Craig along with girlfriend Satsuki Mitchell, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Gemma Arterton, Anatole Taubman, Dame Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini, Simon Kassianides, director Marc Forster, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson and title song performer Jack White.

There are currently in excess of 400 photographs from the premiere posted online at Getty Images. Click below to view:

Quantum of Solace
Premiere Photos

As is often the case with the 007 premieres, several Bond film alumni were also present including Robbie Coltrane, Samantha Bond, Colin Salmon, Rick Yune and Grace Jones.

Sky News [click to view video] got a chance to briefly talk with Craig and Dame Judi as they were arriving.

Asked if he thought this premiere was an even bigger affair compared to Casino Royale two years ago, Craig said: ‘I think it is, which is amazing. I mean I’ve yet to get in there, but it seems to be, which seems extraordinary. It is packed, we’re not pretending.’

Craig continued: ‘[Making Quantum of Solace] was an extraordinary experience for all sorts of reasons. I mean, locations, working with Marc Forster, and it’s been a dream of mine to work with him anyways, and a fantastic group of actors and crew.’

‘You’re just trying to always do better and that’s really what we set out to do.’

Dame Judi, who had a diamond-engraved “007” logo on the back of her neck, was asked for her thoughts on how the audience will react to the James Bond character seen in Quantum of Solace. ‘I think it’s a sign of our times,’ she said. ‘I think it’s very, very good indeed. And who knows? The other Bond may come back. Who knows?’

‘It’s incredibly exciting,’ she continued. ‘It’s incredibly exciting to be employed. I love it. I love being in these movies and you get treated very, very well and you get to play opposite Daniel Craig. You can’t complain.’

Keep your browsers firmly locked on CommanderBond.net throughout all the upcoming weeks as Quantum of Solace goes on general worldwide release beginning this Friday, 31 October.

CBn will continue to keep you updated with all the latest Quantum of Solace coverage, including interviews, news reports, box office details, clips, photos, and more. There are currently more than 750 articles in our main page and Quick News sections.

Video: 'Quantum of Solace' Stars Walk The Red Carpet

The star-studded world premiere festivities for Quantum of Solace have been taking place throughout the past few hours and BBC News now has a video preview of the red carpet event.

Click To View Video

Arriving at the event in London’s Leicester Square were Princes William and Harry and stars Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Dame Judi Dench, director Marc Forster, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson and title song performer Jack White.

Craig, arriving in a black tuxedo along with long-time partner Satsuki Mitchell, was asked by a reporter why it was important that Quantum of Solace be launched in London. ‘Because it’s Bond–it’s as British as it could be,’ was his response.

Endless other cast and crew members from the 22nd James Bond film as well as other 007 alumni, including former Miss Moneypenny, Samantha Bond, were present.

The public premiere of the Bond film is taking place at the 52nd London Film Festival (at the Odeon West End) immediately following the Odeon Cinema Leicester Square world premiere.

Keep your browsers firmly locked on CommanderBond.net throughout the rest of today and all the upcoming weeks as Quantum of Solace goes on general worldwide release beginning this Friday, 31 October.

CBn will continue to keep you updated with all the latest Quantum of Solace coverage, including interviews, news reports, box office details, clips, photos, and more. There are currently in excess of 750 articles in our main page and Quick News sections.

Craig, Kurylenko And Forster Talk Bond On CNN's The Screening Room

CNN’s The Screening Room sat down with Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko and director Marc Forster to discuss the making of Quantum of Solace.

Running for approximately five minutes each, the interviews cover everything from the transition from Casino Royale to Quantum of Solace, the strict time constraints on this James Bond film, working with the entire cast and crew and much more.

Watch online at YouTube:

The Screening Room: Daniel Craig

The Screening Room: Olga Kurylenko

The Screening Room: Marc Forster

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.

'Quantum of Solace' – What The Critics Said (Part III)

QUANTUM OF SOLACE

WHAT THE CRITICS SAID (PART III)

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Bond is back in this action-packed but emotionally unsatisfying sequel

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Occasionally brilliant, brutal and thrilling, yet ultimately a crushing disappointment; enter the Quantum of Solace.

The first out-and-out sequel to a Bond movie, QOS sees Daniel Craig’s much-lauded incarnation of the British secret agent return even more angry and ruthless than he was in franchise reboot Casino Royale.

Picking up literally minutes from the finale of that film, we open with Bond still in Italy, speeding away from police and enemy agents in his Aston Martin, with the sinister Mr White tied up in the boot. Bond discovers that White is part of the far-reaching organisation Quantum (“we have men everywhere!” he grins), that blackmailed his now-dead girlfriend Vesper in the previous film. Naturally, Bond decides to go after the group’s shadowy main man; creepy Dominic Greene (Mathieu Almaric).

On the surface, the reptilian Greene is a kind of eco-philanthropist, but secretly his organisation is involved in an evil plan to control Bolivia’s water supply, as well as more run-of-the-mill criminal activities such as destabilising governments and arming terrorists. Bond resolves to stop his nefarious scheme, and exact his own personal vengeance.

So, why a “crushing dissapoinment”? Allow us to explain. 007’s narrative arc in the movie–his raison d’etre–is revenge. He’s going after the guys that caused the girl he loved to die. And yet during the course of the film, you never get the sense that this is his motivation. As Bond jumps from one exotic locale to the next, killing henchmen, riding speedboats and jumping out of planes, the script barely gives us a sense of the hurt or pain that is driving him and his mission.

Read on…

IGN

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Classy, kinetic and supremely entertaining, this superlative sequel is well worth putting on a dinner jacket for

After his happiness was shattered by the events of Casino Royale, Bond is determined to seek a ‘quantum of solace’–the scant comfort offered by revenge. Hard on the heels of a shadowy
international organisation, he crosses paths with Camille (Olga Kurylenko) a mysterious young woman who has her own score to settle.

This time round, the role of Bond villain is relished by acclaimed French actor Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, 2007), who portrays nefarious eco-philanthropist Dominic Greene with all the air of a psychotic Claude Rains. Grinning like a malevolent toad, Greene unfolds a scheme to seize hundreds of square miles of seemingly empty Bolivian desert and depose the country’s leaders–and Bond is the only one standing in his way.

True to form, Daniel Craig delivers another muscular performance which threatens to eclipse Sean Connery’s turn as Ian Fleming’s ruthless assassin; Judi Dench–who has become something of a Bond institution in her own right–reprises her role as M16’s vigilant spymistress. In the absence of a Moneypenny, M seems to have become Bond’s confidante as well as his keeper, and their relationship now exhibits a frisson that would have made even Fleming (and Freud) blush.

Read on…

Movie Mail

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A good thriller but the whole package is underwhelming

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

When Casino Royale closed with a vengeful Daniel Craig looming over a man connected to the death of Bond’s girlfriend, it instantly became the greatest of 007 finales–a brilliant climax to a movie which reinvented the Bond franchise by subverting most of its sacred laws. But could the series keep it up?

It’s the precedent set by Casino Royale that gives Quantum of Solace its biggest problems. It can’t go back to the comforting style of the older films, but if it distances itself from them much further, it will stop being recognisably Bond at all. This results in an unsatisfying compromise; a thriller that feels embarrassed to be a Bond movie instead of revelling in glamour and action.

The plot has Bond (Craig) and M (Dench) uncovering the existence of a powerful criminal syndicate, responsible for the death of Bond’s lover Vesper (Eva Green). Bond is immediately off the leash, whacking anyone with even the faintest link to the group before he’s had a chance to question them. This is turned into a running joke and the pithy comments from M eventually undercut the grim intensity displayed in Craig’s kamikaze Bond.

Sure, the villain has a psychotic henchman, there are Bond girls and the showdown is at a hi-tech complex in a remote locale, but all these are treated with the sniffy reluctance one would expect from Brian Sewell judging a charity watercolour contest.

Read on…

Channel 4

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All-out thriller with few Bond touches but plenty of high-octane action

The meanest and leanest James Bond film yet, Quantum of Solace is a breathless splash of high-speed action that hurtles from one reckless chase to another.

There’s not much solace and few words as the British secret agent exercises his license to kill in dispatching one bad guy after another in the attempt to avenge the death of the lover who died in Casino Royale.

Fans of that boxoffice smash and the earlier films might be disappointed that the new picture allows hardly any flourishes of style and character in the 007 tradition, but moviegoers seeking an adrenaline rush will be well pleased. Running almost 40 minutes shorter than the bloated Casino Royale, the film should do bristling business around the world.

So much of the movie comprises furious pursuits in boats, planes and racing automobiles that director Marc Forster owes huge thanks to his talented technical crew. Second unit director Dan Bradley and stunt coordinator Gary Powell, both Bourne veterans, must take a large chunk of the credit for all the thrilling encounters that leave credibility in the dust.

Forster’s regular cinematographer Robert Schaefer and Oscar-winning production designer Dennis Gassner (Bugsy) contribute fine work and the intricate assembly by editors Matt Chesse and Richard Pearson is staggeringly effective. A gunfight cut against a lavish performance of “Tosca” is an action triumph.

Jack White’s title song passes without notice, but composer David Arnold provides a top-flight action score, keeping the familiar themes to a minimum as they hardly suit Daniel Craig’s Bond.

Read on…

The Hollywood Reporter

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Quantum follows Casino Royale in reinstating the Bond supremacy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Casino Royale saw Bond rebooted–Bourne again, if you will. And at the outset of Quantum of Solace you’d be forgiven for forgetting that you’re watching 007 and not the absent-minded assassin: car chases, rooftop pursuits, hand-to-hand combat. Indeed, the hand of Dan Bradley, stunt supremo on the Bourne trilogy, is immediately apparent. If you can’t beat them, convince their expert on beating people up to join you.

Except that the car being thrashed in the thrilling opening isn’t a Lada; it’s a full-throated Aston Martin. The setting isn’t a drab Eastern Bloc city; it’s scenic Lake Garda. And as Bond (Daniel Craig, in his second outing) swells his MI6 expense account with another wreck before nonchalantly exiting, as unruffled as the lining of his Tom Ford suit, we’re reminded why nobody does it better. Just as Ian Fleming’s novels transported a rationed post-WWII public to a world of fine dining, international travel and sports cars, so today’s credit-crunched audience is whisked to Italy, Haiti, Austria, Bolivia and Russia, with Bond flying first class and gleefully blowing his cover in order to check himself into the best hotel in town. Who wants grey realism when you can have brilliant escapism?

Read on…

GQ

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The smart elegance of Craig’s Bond debut has been toned down in favour of conventional action

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

He’s back. Daniel Craig allays any fear that he was just a one-Martini Bond, with this, his second 007 adventure, the perplexingly named Quantum of Solace.

I’ve got to admit that this didn’t excite me as much as Casino Royale and the villain is especially underpowered. But Craig personally has the chops, as they say in Hollywood. He’s made the part his own, every inch the coolly ruthless agent-cum-killer, nursing a broken heart and coldly suppressed rage. If the Savile Row suit with the Beretta shoulder holster fits, wear it. And he’s wearing it.

This is a crash-bang Bond, high on action, low on quips, long on location glamour, short on product placement.

Under the direction of Marc Forster, the movie ladles out the adrenalin in a string of deafening episodes: car chases, plane wrecks, motor boat collisions. If it’s got an engine, and runs on fuel, and can crash into another similarly powered vehicle, with Bond at the wheel, and preferably with a delicious female companion in the passenger seat–well, it goes in the movie.

There are plenty of references to other Bond moments. A horribly dangerous skydive recalls The Spy Who Loved Me. A pile-up in Haiti which spills a macabre lorryload of coffins recalls the voodoo creepiness of Live and Let Die. And, most outrageously of all, the grotesque daubing of a female corpse brings back Goldfinger – though Sean Connery got an awful lot more mileage out of that sort of thing.

Read on…

The Guardian

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