While I rather loved the film (never deserved the hatred) I do agree that the environmental plot was kinda tacky and it very much suffered from the writer’s strike.
There are things that should be kept (Bond’s relationship with Camille is top notch, Craig’s portrayal of Bond is great, and Quantum actually worked as a starter threat for Bond’s career.)
Proposed ideas: Add more running time to it; add more detail to the plans of Quantum rather than what happened in Bolivia in 2000;
I really think QOS is one of Craig’s best. I’m probably in a very small minority who thinks it is actually the best in the series. I loved it. If I had to change anything to it I’d end the film with Bond finding out the name of the organisation was actually SPECTRE and not QUANTUM.
I loved it too. Very much in fact. However there were some problems with it (it was a little short, the villains plan was rather lame)
Always been a fan of QoS but I do disagree a little on the length thing. At the time it did seem a tad “slam bam thank you ma’am” with it’s in and out the door in under 2 hours. But with hindsight, and seeing as it’s surrounded by films that all seem to be north of 150 minutes, I find it’s conciseness a refreshing change.
I do feel that Bonds are made with multiple viewings in mind and with that there are too many of the films that struggle with their pacing (OHMSS being the exception). QoS most certainly doesn’t have that problem.
If the film needs addition, you could made the case for a bit more characterization - yes some of the scenes do just get you from A to B, including those with Leiter and Kinnear’s Tanner’s first appearance. An extra five minutes mightn’t hurt, but I’m never feel that QoS is somehow 30 minutes too short.
BTW, to paraphrase Tanner, I love our new digs…
Just get the camera steady and it´s a perfect Bond film. Also, a couple more lines from Craig wouldn’t hurt - and i don´t mean one-liners. More dialogue, well written dialogue.
The shakey cam wouldn’t have been so bad if the film wasn’t edited by a couple of overcaffeinated chimpanzees with Attention Deficit Disorder… And yes the dialogue could have been fleshed out much better. But beyond those quibbles QOS is a very solid film that will age very well, I think.
I’m not that keen on the film, but the delivery - runtime, camera work, editing, etc - of its message is probably its strength (or, at least, what makes it stand out). Normalizing it would smother its impact.
I agree. The Siena chase is the worst offender when it comes to the editing, but I can tolerate it. Other parts of the film’s editing I don’t really have a problem with, even if I wouldn’t be wanting a repeat of it. I wouldn’t change that opening car chase for the world.
I wouldn’t change much about the film. As far as I’m concerned, it’s one of the best in the franchise.
I did a little experiment back in 2010 that I called “Casino Of Solace”. I took CR start to finish and at the end with “The name’s Bond, James Bond” froze on Craig and then dissolved into the opening shot across and over the lake after snipping out the MGM & Columbia logos. I then cut the opening credits from “Time to get out” right to the establishing overhead of the horses.
What you end up with is a nearly four hour six act Bond epic. It works and just flows and the change in camera work actually gives it a better or somewhat more climatic pace. I ripped it to a few DVDs and my non hardcore Bond fan friends love it.
QOS is fine, but the mix of styles and tone as compared with CR doesn’t quite work in the sense that it’s supposed to be a continuation happening within, say 20 minutes?, after the end of CR.
I also am a fan of Quantum of Solace thought some things could’ve been done better. There’s particularly one scene that’s completely unnecessary and, well, boring. And it’s a plane chase. I always skip this one when watching Blu-ray. It very much ruins the pace of the second act (yes, much more than the desert roam). Still, it has a great script, simple but consistent). I always loved its mood, too.
It’s definitely underrated. As said I love the car chase. The Slate fight is awesome. The Opera sequence is a Craig era standout. The death of Mathis is also another one of my favourite Craig era moments, along with the confrontation with Yusef. People all too readily dismiss the film in my opinion because it’s not the CR sequel they envisioned in their mind.
I watched QOS last night on a commercial cable station here in the US. Perhaps it’s because of its breakneck pace, but I find myself often and consistently drawn into this movie and invariably watch it from whatever point I enter through to the end. Last night was no exception. I also think Craig has a stellar look throughout the movie, from wardrobe to haircut and hair color (which appears a shade darker than his other movies). While I don’t think it’s his best 007 outing, I am always entertained by it, in spite of genuinely disliking much of the editing choices (I still think that boat chase is a confused mess). I also enjoy Arnold’s score, which I cannot say about most of his efforts.
And one more thing. I think Quantum of Solace has one of the better, if not the best, third act in the series. I find the desert hotel scene perfect, it’s engaging, thrilling, dense thus unlike some other - not boring at all. Plus the scene where Bond is about to shoot Camille… masterpiece. Wouldn’t change a thing.
That part was awesome; Greene’s plan was a little lame though.
Agreed with all on the Third Act - have said many times, including this thread, how QoS is one of the few Bond that mastered the notion of pacing, and maybe it’s down to the fact that Greene’s plan is so lame…
QoS is one of the few Bonds where the villain’s plan really isn’t that important, so therefore the film has to find other ways to “resolve” itself - in QoS’ case it’s Bond’s growth or Camille’s situation. Compare with the standard Bond where the resolution of the villain’s plan is what carries the 3rd act, well, let me say this -after 50 years, it’s not like Bond ISNT going to foil the masterplan, and therefore the suspense (and by extension the pacing) is robbed somewhat.
Compare with QoS where the scheme is of little consequence. Instead the climax is carried by Camille and her fate, or Bond and his decision how/if to kill Greene and because the outcomes of both of those are unknown, well, the 3rd act carries a greater sense of momentum than the standard “scheme” Bond where the resolution rises and falls on the standard of the action and the action alone.
Greene’s scheme doesn’t even rise to the level of a MacGuffin, inconsequential as it is. I’d argue that in a strange way it’s that that makes QoS different, and by extension helps alleviate some necessary plot resolutions that weigh down other films in the series.
A lot of great moments/things in this film:
Opening car chase (that swooping shot over the water is brilliant, as are the little fades of the car and close up’s of DCs face).
Rooftop chase
Fight with Slate
Camille
Opera scene
Mathis’ death
Bond escaping custody in the lift and his comment to M afterwards
Bond escaping the swat team
Yusef scene- one of the best in the entire series.
All the bad bits are obvious,- the villains plan, the boat chase, the script, Gemma Arterton, the theme song, Gregory Beam, dogfight and sinkhole bit.
It gets a lot of flack, but QOS is nowhere near as bad as people make out. I think if Martin Campbell had directed it, it would have been a lot better. Tonally it’s so so so different to CR, and I think that’s the main problem, considering it’s essentially all one story.
I find this very interesting as the final act is my least favorite thing about QOS. I find it to be far too straightforward and anti-climactic. I also have a real problem with the difficulty Bond has with Greene going hand-to-hand. I don’t for a second buy that a man with Bond’s training would be in such a dire fight for his life. That said, the bit with Camille is touching and adds some tension to an otherwise “by the numbers” ending. But, to each his own.
I agree actually. Greene should NOT have been the final boss. He’s a weedy businessman.
Camille was awesome though
I always got the sense that they were trying to build Quantum up as a big menace and Bond had to work his way up to bigger and badder people - kinda like peeling the layers of an onion. So greene was intentionally weak because he was just a stepping stone to someone bigger. But then they shifted gears in Skyfall and went with a standalone (at that time) villain.