James Bond is Back in a Quantum of Solace
The Plot, the Cast, and the Movie Locations of the 22nd Bond Film
Oct 29, 2008
Daniel Craig’s portrayal of James Bond in Casino Royale in 2006 broke all box office records, making a cool $600+ million and becoming the highest grossing 007 movie in history.
However, Quantum of Solace looks set to take a “quantum” leap into the record books too. This much awaited action flick is expected to be the best Bond ever, it is certainly the most expensive.
The latest Bond licensed-to-thrill movie premiers today, October 29th, at the London Film Festival and then is on general release to British audiences from Friday October 31st. It opens in Canada and the U.S. on November 14th, 2008 in time for the U. S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
The Plot
Whilst the other 21 Bond flicks stand pretty much independently, Quantum of Solace is a true sequel to Casino Royale, picking up just 1-hour after the story left off.
In Casino Royale, Bond has his heart broken when the love of his life is killed. In this movie Bond fans will see a new Bond, as he's now out for revenge. According to Christopher Tookey’s Daily Mail article, Quantum of Solace: Quantum of Nonsense” of October 22, 2008, Bond becomes a running, chasing, killing machine.” Says Tookey, “he sets about using his license to kill, in no uncertain manner. So set is he on vengeance that he makes Rambo look like a pussycat.”
In the movie, the secret agent sets out to find a 'quantum of solace,” some comfort in a world of chaos and turmoil. Moviegoers will see 007 becoming an embittered super-spy, hell-bent on revenge. He is in danger of losing his humanity and becoming a cynic; a cold-blooded killer — much to the horror of those at MI6.
The latest flick has very little else to link it to the title of Ian Fleming’s original short story called a “Quantum of Solace,” apart from “Quantum” being a villainous organization that is featured in the film.
The Characters
Craig’s sexy sidekicks are Bond Girls Gemma Arteton, who plays MI6 operative, Agent Fields, and Ukrainian-born model-cum-actress, 28-year-old Olga Kurylenko. Olga plays the avenging angel Camille, a mysterious Bolivian rogue-agent with a tragic past, hell-bent on revenge after her family’s death. Mathieu Amalric (the French star of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), plays Dominic Greene, the main villain of the piece. He poses as an environmentalist but plots to hold millions of people to ransom by controlling their water supply.
Some familiar characters also return in Quantum. There’s M, played by Dame Judi Dench, Felix Leiter, played by Jeffrey Wright and MI6 agent René Mathis, played by Giancarlo Gianni.
The Movie Locations
In addition to London’s Pinewood studios, parts of the movie were filmed in Austria, Mexico, Panama, Chile’s Atacama Desert; Italy’s historic Tuscan town of Sienna and the scenic Lake Garda. Quantum of Solace holds the record so far for the most locations featured in a Bond movie.
The Risks
In the making of Quantum, a British engineer received serious injuries after a crash involving a $260,000 Aston Martin, when it accidentally skidded into the water of Lake Garda during heavy rains. An unnamed Greek stuntman suffered serious head injuries during another car accident. Daniel Craig sustained a number of injuries whilst doing his own stunt work including slicing off the top of his finger, and fracturing an arm whilst shooting the final scenes of the film. “Jumping from great heights hurts a lot, he tells the Daily Mail in its article “The name’s Bond, Vaga-bond,” of October 5th, 2008.
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