Since Quantum of Solace suffered from a Writers Guild of America strike while filming, I am going to treat this write-up in a similar fashion and give it a quick once over with no polishes.
1. Along with not having a team of writers available to work out the kinks of the story, the movie also suffers from being influenced heavily by the Jason Bourne series. The quick editing style does the movie no favors. However, even though some of the pre-title sequence can't really be understood without multiple viewings it is still a thrilling piece of action cinema. I also love how artsy it begins with the music building as the camera swoops across an Italian lake and flashes of the cars chasing one another are seen before we are inserted right into the middle of the chase. It is a nice cinematic flair from the director that makes the sequence stand out.
2. I'm not usually a fan of the location being flashed on screen as it should either be obvious from the coverage footage of the city or detailed in the dialogue. However, sometimes location titles are necessary in a movie. These are done in an interesting and artistic way, so it is the best possible situation for what we're given.
3. "It's time to get out."
4. The killing of Edmund Slate in Port-au-Prince is another failure due to the frantic editing style. However, after the killing as Bond is cleaning up, the camera keeps returning to Slate's lifeless body and it is a reminder to the viewer of the coldness and brutality it takes to be in Bond's profession. He ignores what has just taken place and is simply moving on with his duty, but we keep coming back to the horrific look on Slate's face as he realizes the final moments of his life slipping away.
5. Tanner is back again and here to stay for the next three movies as well. He becomes a permanent member of the Scooby gang at MI6. There are little hints in this film that he and Bond are close. The best moment that reflects this is when M is interrogating Bond about the recent killing of Slate, Tanner interrupts and changes the subject in order to deflect from Bond's reckless behavior.
6. Director Mark Forster definitely tried to sprinkle his artistic style throughout this movie and it is unfortunate he was dealt a bad hand with the writer strike. However, where you can see some of his creativity working well is during the Tosca scene. As Bond is spying on members of the villainous group we get some intercutting with the Italian opera and the edits continue even when the henchmen are chasing Bond backstage and through the building. It is similar to the shot in You Only Live Twice where the camera pulls back to reveal Bond being chased along some rooftops instead of trying to show another fight sequence that we've seen so many times. In Quantum of Solace we hear the operatic music and get shots of the performance among those of Bond being pursued. It is a fascinating technique that I think works.
7. Another Bondian-trope that is turned on its head is the fight between Bond and main villain Dominic Greene. After establishing how great of shape Bond is in during Casino Royale the filmmakers couldn't really make us believe that Greene would be a physical match for Bond. However, during the climactic battle they do still make it an interesting fight as Greene goes berserk with an axe. I assume it is hard to combat an opponent when they have no style at all and are just flailing about.
8. I really wish the writers strike had not taken place during the making of this movie as I feel that one particular scene that, as it stands now, is pretty good could have been exceptional with a few re-writes. It is the one where Bond is comforting Camille in the burning hotel room as they think they are about to die. Her backstory, which isn't touched upon quite enough to drive the point home, involves her being the sole survivor when as a child her family was attacked, raped, and killed and her home set ablaze. She obviously has some serious trauma and pyrophobia and she keeps mumbling to Bond, "Not like this." You can see Bond contemplating shooting her to put her out of her misery and at the last second he sees a way out. Some additional work from the writers would have made this an outstanding display for Daniel Craig and Olga Kurylenko's talents.
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