Quantum of Solace

I liked the new James Bond movie. The latest incarnation of Bond is the grittiest, toughest and most dangerous of all, and also the most vulnerable and emotional, it certainly makes him a more interesting character. There's still the smooth style and ultra cool of course but there's also a lot more going on inside his head. Haunted by the death of Vespa, who he denies having loved, Bond is sleep deprived, over indulges on vodka martinis, shows glimpses of fear and desperation under pressure and is hell bent on revenge despite denials to the contrary. He also becomes a fugitive, hunted by both sides, though M, for all her stern rebukes, doesn't lose faith in OO7 when all and sundry are sure he's lost it and needs to be stopped, dead or alive.

The stunts and action scenes are breath-taking, the pace relentless and the settings and cinematogrophy stunning. The plot was a bit hard to follow at times and of course there was a liberal dose of escapist unreality but you don't go to a James Bond film expecting documentary style reality, or you shouldn't! . A lot of things blew up or were destroyed. A lot of beautiful women were on show. A lot of bad guys had evil plans to rule/destroy the world. A lot of people were chased: in cars, boats, planes and on foot and a lot of people died. It's definitely a man's movie. Females may like the look and sexiness of Bond but they won't relate to or appreciate his character, or character faults, his propensity for cold-blooded violence and ruthless commitment to getting the job done.

I liked it.