Daniel Craig’s Quantum Of Solace Is The Most Misunderstood James Bond Movie
Quantum of Solace is not a typical 007 film, but Daniel Craig’s second outing as James Bond is actually a very misunderstood and underrated Bond movie nonetheless. Bond films famously don’t require much deep thought, as they are classic cinema entertainment, complete with a dizzying array of gadgets and slick quips harking back to the earliest days of 007. Quantum of Solace, however, is an unusually serious Bond franchise entry that was marked as a critical disappointment upon release in 2008.
Casino Royale was released in 2006 to much fanfare as Daniel Craig played James Bond for the first time. Craig's Bond debut was hugely successful and went on to become one of the most beloved entries in the whole 007 franchise due to its more gritty portrayal of Bond and enormous entertainment factor as well. Just two years later, though, the general consensus was that a lot went wrong with Quantum of Solace, with the Casino Royale follow up's tone branded particularly solemn and moody without respite.
Yet Quantum of Solace is a unique Bond film in many ways, not least because it has the shortest running time in the entire franchise, clocking in at a mere 106 minutes. But, more importantly, it’s also the first and only sequel in the series that acts as a direct continuation from its predecessor, Casino Royale, and this is what makes it particularly interesting. Quantum of Solace begins literally minutes after the ending of Casino Royale, as an injured Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) is being escorted in the trunk of James Bond’s Aston Martin DBS during a thrilling opening car chase. Despite the Writers' Strike which was occurring in Hollywood during the production of Quantum, it’s impressive they managed to craft a story so intensely focused on Bond’s own internal angst and mourning of Vesper Lynd’s (Eva Green) passing in his previous outing - making Quantum of Solace a one-of-a-kind Bond portrait that looks past the franchise's shiny veneer.
Casino Royale was a massive success in 2006, and, for all its efforts, Quantum of Solace was never going to match, let alone surpass, the quality of Craig’s first outing as 007. So, instead of trying to top the previous Bond film – which has been a formulaic pattern throughout the franchise since the beginning – the writers of Quantum of Solace (which partially included former 007 Daniel Craig himself at certain points) set out to make a direct sequel to Casino Royale. In this way, Quantum of Solace works so much better if seen spiritually as “Casino Royale: Part II,” with Bond coming to terms with the loss of Vesper Lynd. As a result, layers of Quantum of Solace are very much about James Bond’s attempt to find his own version of peace and closure following the tragic death of his first true love. On a more tertiary layer, Bond is also looking to exact revenge on the Quantum organization, who were responsible for Vesper’s death.
In this way, Bond’s character struggle is allegorized in the opera scene that takes place on the stage of the Bregenz Opera House in Austria - showcasing the oft-overlooked depth of Quantum of Solace. The symbolism in this Tosca opera is demonstrated during the silent gunfight between Bond and the Quantum organization. The film cuts between stabs from Tosca as she murders her abuser, Scarpia, and Bond on his rampage, linking the two as the crimes of passion they are. Quantum of Solace is not Casino Royale, and it isn’t the typical 007 adventure, either - but it does boast some profundity for Craig's Bond that is only enhanced by his death in No Time To Die.