Quantum of Solace
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some sexual content.
reviewed by Christopher Lyon
We're always wrestling with the deep truths of life here at PlanetWisdom, and one big idea has become unescapable this year: Movie titles are going downhill. Seriously. "Quantum of Solace"? I just watched the whole thing, and I still don't know what that means.
It's true that both words describe some aspect of the film, but that does not make a good title. And it's not any better just because you can take the "Q" in one word and the "o" in the other to make "007." Seriously.
The Story
And, honestly, the story told in this Bond outing is sometimes as confusing as the title. The first problem is that you really need to remember what happened in "Casino Royale," the last Bond film, to keep up with all the plot unfolding in this story.
The biggest detail to remember is that Bond fell in love with a lady named Vesper Lynd and that she died because of the bad guys and that Bond wants revenge.
This story picks up shortly after "Royale" ended. James Bond (Daniel Craig) drags bad guy Mr. White in to an underground hideout in Italy to be questioned by his British Secret Service boss M (Judy Dench). Mr. White quickly reveals he's part of a massive global organization with people everywhere -- including that man behind you with the gun, he says. He's right.
Bond then chases the bad guys through Italy, London, Bolivia, and other exotic locales. He meets Camille (Olga Kurylenko), a beautiful woman looking for revenge against a Bolivian general who hurt her family. Through her, Bond finds villain Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a member of Quantum, the evil global organization seeking world domination (I think). Greene is using his environmental organization as a front for something bad.
Oh, and Bond is on the lam from both MI6 and CIA for killing too many bad guys and maybe killing some good guys and because there's a conspiracy. That makes his job finding and killing the bad guys even harder.
The Verdict
What we thought of the movie on its own terms
What Works: Daniel Craig is a good bond. At one point, Camille remarks, "There's something terribly efficient about you." She nails it. He plays Bond as an athlete with no wasted movements or dialogue. It's not that he can't be charming; he just isn't unless he needs to be. You can always sense an undercurrent of brooding emotion in him, but it never threatens to derail either his sense of purpose or productivity. Instead, his underlying sadness or anger or humor feels like fuel, always propelling him forward.
Also convincing is Judy Dench, given more screen time as Bond's handler and boss. In spite of the various women Bond beds, it's her difficult maternal relationship with him that provides the emotional core of the story. She withholds/gives approval to his sulking, unrepentant, wounded inner little boy.
Director Marc Forster ("Finding Neverland," "Stranger Than Fiction") brings some unexpected and welcome artistic touches to a Bond film, including his use of non-traditional but excellent musical choices for several scenes that would otherwise have been overly familiar.
What Doesn't Work: In addition to the occasionally baffling plot, this Bond adventure offer less awesomeness in the stunts and action sequences than the last film to the point that the chase scenes almost get tiresome. The villain Greene underwhelms, as well. Bond bad guys should be either scary evil or scary crazy or both. Greene never threatens to be either. And his right hand man is even tamer.
Content: "Q of S" brings down a PG-13 with lots of action violence, a high body count, some language, and one scene in which Bond winds up in bed with a woman.
Worldview
How the film's take on life compares with a biblical perspective
The most obvious worldview in "Solace" is that you should never become a friend or lover of James Bond. The film makes the point repeatedly that nearly everyone who ever gets close to him (in any sense) dies or gets hurt. It's the downside of being Bond. So, you know, be careful with that.
The other worldview issue grappled with is that of revenge as a reason for living. A few people accuse Bond of being motivated by avenging Vesper's death in his relentless pursuit of the bad guys. He denies it and really seems to mostly control it. He comments, "I don't think the dead care much about revenge."
But Camille lives for nothing else, openly wondering what she would live for once revenge is complete. Bond doesn't judge her; he even tries to help her get her pay-back. The story approves.
I noticed that several secular reviewers observed that revenge movies are becoming played out, that revenge as a hero's motivation is just boring. We've seen it too many times. The emotion doesn't compel as a storytelling device right now.
If only we could get bored with the idea of revenge in our real lives; it's such a worthless waste of our emotional time and energy. Either we get our revenge or we don't, but we never really find satisfaction. Worse, the Bible suggests that our pursuit of getting even might actually get in the way of true justice for those who do wrong:
"Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord." (Romans 12:19)
God does not let evil go unpaid. Believing that and letting it go is one of the many ways Jesus-followers learn to trust God in all things. It is our quantum of solace. (See. It means nothing. Who names movies, these days?)
Questions:
- What's your favorite movie title of the year? Your least favorite?
- If you've seen a few of the 73 Bond movies in the franchise, how does this one stack up?
- Is Daniel Craig a good Bond? Who else would you like to see in the role?
- Do you believe that seeking revenge is always wrong? Why or why not?
- Do you believe that revenge never really provides the satisfaction you're hoping for? Why or why not?
- Have you ever experienced a deep and meaningful quantum of solace? Why or why not?
