The Cinema of the Four

Quantum of Solace

His week marked the return of British hero classic to the American theaters. Alas, it was not great-grandfather Holmes, but that much younger Bond fellow, who seems to go through incarnations like a certain faux-British Gallifreyan. This time around, the film is “Quantum of Solace,” and what results did my investigation yield?

Fast, too fast. Even with my deductions as fast as intuitions, the action sequences brought on a sense of numbness after a time. I refuse to believe that this action sequence style directors seem so infatuated with of late is actually more effective or representative of the modern young man's mental wiring. These irritating flicker-shows of moving action don't allow time for enjoyment or for emotions to bubble up, just a wait for them to get over. I also wonder how screenwriters write them, or if they do. My feeling is that they just go to an exotic locale and have the fight choreographer make it up as they go --- except for the mandatory construction area fight. What is it with new Bond and construction?

This latest, fast-moving Bond also brings in, without introduction, cultural events that such young minds have no clue on. Some big Italian horse race, an avante garde Tosca? I can't believe the quick action audience was any more in touch with those than I, the great-grandson of a cultural icon. While I appreciate the ambition and depth of scene-setting, there should be a touch of primer for the average movie-goer.

The strong suit of this latest series is its moments of characterization. Moments, because they often pass quickly, but the characters are grand. Felix Leiter's boss was spot-on old cowboy CIA. M just gets better and better. And the women . . . it really is an insult to lump them into that last-century "Bond girls" club. Sure, we had good character women in the movies before, but I prefer the less show-biz girls we're getting now. (Although the "Oil Fields" implied pun was rather old school, as was her death.)

"Quantum of Solace" might be the middle film of a trilogy, when one comes right down to it. Discovering the new SPECTRE while Bond solidifies his relationship with M and gets some emotional stuff worked out. The third film is where one expects the real work to be done. Having watched "Casino Royale" last night as research, the new one follows it like a part two, and I look forward to part three.

What Great-grandfather Sherlock might have said:
“Meanwhile, please send by messenger, to await return at Baker Street, a complete list of all foreign spies or international agents known to be in England, with full address.”