short film reviews, criticism, and occasional musing.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Quantum of Solace (2008, UK/USA)

Some critics have been quibbling with the fact that Quantum of Solace does away with some of the hallmarks of a Bond film – but it’s not as if Bond hasn’t changed with the decades. Connery Bonds were very different animals than Brosnan or even Moore Bonds, and not just because they had different leads. If Quantum gives us a leaner, meaner Bond, that’s partly due to the set-up of the story (niftily, though occasionally confusingly, beginning only hours after Casino Royale ends) and partly because that’s what big action films do these days. Casino had its fair share of adrenaline, too, though it was certainly more leisurely and had greater depth than the sequel. Quantum packs six action sequences (not counting a number of minor fights) into a running time just over an hour and a half. They’re pretty spectacular, particularly the opening car chase and subsequent foot pursuit, but I do find myself hoping that Bond slows down a bit in the third installment. Though anyone complaining about the lack of Bond trademarks in Quantum must have missed the pretty slick Goldfinger nod.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

We caught that Goldfinger nod!

11:31 AM

 

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