In the early years of cinema there was a Russian filmmaker by the name of Lev Kuleshov who set out to prove the usefulness and effectiveness of film editing by juxtaposing images together and recording audience’s emotional reactions. The audience brought their own emotional reaction to the sequence of juxtaposed images of a man inter cut with different objects such as a bowl of soup, a coffin, etc. Although the man’s expression never changed, audiences swore up and down that his mood changed with each inter cut picture. Quantum of Solace takes this basic principle of montage and waves a large middle finger at it.
Luckily, the entire movie isn’t saturated with rapid editing; just the action sequences. In this ridiculous show of visual ADD, it is difficult to bring your own emotional reaction to what you’re seeing. Not to mention the fact that the geography of the scene becomes quite confusing. I just saw an axe go through a foot, but who did that foot belong to? Not only does this style of editing detach you from the scene, it reminds you that you are watching a movie. It’s hard to become fully engaged in Quantum’s story or characters.
Spastic action edits aside, Quantum of Solace has a lot of potential to go down in history as one of the better Bond films. It has everything in line to make a successful Bond film including explosions, high speed chases, tongue and cheek humor, sexy Bond girls, and a global domination conspiracy. Our hero, on the other hand, has become a bit one dimensional. Unfortunately for Bond fans, 007 has become a superhuman shell of a character whose basic motivation of revenge is never truly justified (especially in the final scene where his efforts lead him to an encounter with the source of his heartache). The last piece of his fallen love is discarded in the snow not as a symbol of forgiveness or growth, but rather a symbol of his newly acquired apathy. He has thrown away his last chunk of humanity.
After Casino Royale, the opportunity to flesh out the Bond character was hanging by unprotected string. All Forster and Craig had to do was cut it down. I don’t blame Craig for not taking the chance to make 007 a empathetic character, but I do blame Forster for not being able to deliver a believable Bond. I don’t want James Bond to cry, I don’t want him to become overwhelmed with emotion, and I don’t want him to stop banging broads with no attachment whatsoever. I do however, want some sort sparkle of an actual human being in Bond’s perfect blue eye. Just a hint of humanity. That way, when he’s blowing up buildings and drinking like a fish, I can root for a man worth rooting for.
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