Caffeinated Clint
By Ashley Hillard
After having been revealed to be in bed with the baddies, the end of ”Casino Royale” saw 007’s beloved Vesper Lynd dead, and James Bond (Daniel Craig) had set off on a vengeance mission to find those responsible.
This new film picks up about an hour after the events of the last – with 007 well on his way to catching the conspirator.
“Quantum” begins with Bond and M (Judi Dench) interrogating Mr White (Jesper Christensen), who reveals the organisation that blackmailed Vesper is far more multifarious and dangerous than anyone had imagined. Forensic intelligence links an MI6 turncoat to a bank account in Haiti where a case of mistaken identity introduces Bond to the beautiful, but feisty, Camille (Olga Kurylenko), a woman who has her own vendetta. Camille leads Bond straight to Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a hard-nosed businessman and major force within the mysterious organisation.
Out of everyone that’s played the super agent, Craig plays the most authentic and down-to-earth incarnation of Bond ever – and it’s the man you want to watch, not necessarily his actions. Here, James is still a bruised, battered, demon-fighting tough guy who’s not so much interested in bedding every girl in town as he is in just doing his job well. It’s rather refreshing.
“Quantum” had a lot to live up to after “Casino Royale” restarted the Bond franchise. While Marc Forster didn’t fail, he also didn’t live up to Martin Campbell’s mastery of directing action while keeping the story equally mesmerizing. A lot to live up to and I still scratch my head as to why Martin wasn’t paid whatever kingly sum he requested to keep him on board. Another weak link of this Bond is Alicia Keys doing the title song with Jack White. She’s phenomenal artist and singer, don’t get me wrong, but not right for this movie or the video that goes along with it (and included in the DVD features).
Extras
The DVD contains some interesting features, including interviews about the locations, how it was shot, the boat chase scene as well as information about the music. Marc Forster is interviewed as well as the crew, who have both their bios and interviews about what brought them to this project. Marc acknowledges the pressure he felt following the success of ”Casino Royale”. The candid interviews and behind the scenes look at the making of the film make this a DVD worth purchasing for all Bond aficionados.
