ACTION; 1hr 46min
STARRING: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric
Feeling the heat: Craig
Whatever else is to be made of Craig as Quantum of Solace’s lean, mean 007 machine James Bond, the man earns his money. Blasting off with an Italian car chase and a bungled interrogation just one hour after the shattering close of 2006’s Casino Royale, Quantum then zips over to London and across to Haiti. Bond, still smarting from his lover’s betrayal and icily pretending not to, is going after the multi-tentacled organisation, known as Quantum, that had been blackmailing her. The title also refers to the emotional rescue the superagent sorely needs: that and some shut-eye, being as how he is always on the hop from one luxe, far-flung and chancy situation to the next.
Craig as JB is a chilly cove — not a traditionalist’s dream, perhaps, but he owns the screen all the same. Kurylenko as his dishy Girl, Amalric as the villain and Judi Dench as M are correspondingly restrained, as is Marc Forster’s direction. This is a contemporised and de-cheesed Bond juggernaut but its enduring story still lies in its daredevil, nonstop style.
