newcritics

At this late date, the biggest obstacle to refreshing the James Bond storyline is the fans.

Everyone, it seems, comes to the table with expectations. There’s even the set of Roger Moore fans who come with expectations… which is just sad, if you ask me. But, more seriously, there are the devotee-purists of Ian Fleming’s original work, there’s the legions enamored of Sean Connery, and those who think - even I do - that Pierce Brosnan made a surprisingly capable, engaging Bond (right down to the engaging, underrated Die Another Day).

It’s amazing, really, that Daniel Craig actually put himself up for the scrutiny; more amazing still that the writers have attempted to present an alternate view of a Bond story, one that eschews the traditional luxury trappings, and the enforced repartee in favor of something grittier, harder… less elegant and, well, nice.

I have to admit I had my issues with Casino Royale; as a fan of almost all Bonds (Moonraker, people, is the real test of devotion, I find) and certainly as a fan of Craig’s, I was anxious, but hopeful. I, too, found as MA Peel suggests, that there was a paucity of dialogue and a coldness in Craig that was hard to accept, at first. Still, the bravura action sequences (Royale’s African opening, up a crane, down a half completed building… remains mesmerizing), the smart casting (Judi Dench! Judi Dench!), and the nods to a past before Connery… all of these were heartening, at least to me.

As my friend Michael said, leaving Quantum of Solace… we can’t really tell what movie the critics saw; what we saw was immensely satisfying. I have to say I probably went in with lowered expectations, and that may have helped. But mostly, I found Craig and Co. delivering on the potential established in their first go-round: a harder, angrier Bond, more a part of the world than gliding effortlessly around it.

This is a Bond who gets bruised, a Bond with scars (literally; Craig’s willingness to shed both pretensions and clothes makes it clear), and it suits the times, despite the protestations of others. I have no love for what’s been done to The Dark Knight, but I can’t ignore the success of the two outings: clearly current audiences are keyed into heroic suffering, to the dark side of character development, to the malevolence within us all. These are, in many ways, ugly, brutal times, and we can’t hide from that, much as we would like.

While this Bond is haunted by both the love and betrayal of Vesper Lynd, it’s oversimplifying to call that the driver of Bond in Quantum. His sense of duty, loyalty to country… these are also in play when, after the opening’s breathless car chase (a little sloppily filmed, but gripping), Bond and M are nearly done in by a rogue penetration into the heart of their organization (and, really, has Dench had a more affecting moment in a Bond film than in the aftermath of her attack when she stands in her attacker’s apartment, noting the presence of her Christmas gifts to him?). Bond’s quest to unravel the attack, and find answers drives the story, and its a sense of purpose that many Bond films lack, because it’s a mission of choice, not a mission of command.

Finally, too, the gadgetry element of the Bond films has found a place grounded more in realism than fantasy - no more magic cars and deadly wtach bombs… but the computer screens and file searches make for effective transmission of gobs of expository info, done in a graphically satisfying way. GPS means Bond is never quite as “off the reservation” as he likes to believe.

Moreover, the film has a satisfying set of villains - the idea of a “green capitalist” who is manufacturing water shortages and global unrest to fulfill his business goals is smartly thought through and well executed, and keys off of an actual situation (world water shortage) that’s gotten far to little attention, especially in the free world. Gone completely are the old, tired Cold War tropes, and of spies who all play the same elegant game (thank God the worst element of Casino Royale - that hopeless card game - is a distant memory). Yet we still get colorful and elegant set pieces - the amazing visualization of Tosca and its black-tie denizens, a fundraising party in the heart of a Bolivian nightclub district - these are modern notions of luxury, at once a part of us and yet wildly out of reach.

Yes, Bond could stand to talk more and grimace less; but let’s not lose sight of the volumes of personality and presence Daniel Craig provides in his silences. No actor, certainly no Bond actor, has seemed to so inhabit the person of Bond rather than play the part. This isn’t simply Jason Bourne-ism (though Bourne, we should point out, has up-ended the conventions of spy thrillers, and it should be faced); much as I admire what Matt Damon’s done with the part, he is far colder as a presence than Craig will ever be. Both suit their roles, which is why they have connected with the public. But they are also quite different.

This is not your father’s Bond; this is not your brother’s Bond, either. And, frankly, we are better for it (although someone, really, needs to step in and fix the deteriorating quality of theme songs and opening credit sequences). The gin-sozzled, dapper dressed, gadget-y plaything of the past doesn’t suit our times, or our cultural needs. Craig’s nearly chaste portrayal - as I noted in my Royale review, he remains the character most likely to be naked - may cool the notions of Bond as lothario, but they enhance and improve the roles for women in these films: Olga Kurylenko may not be the best Bond girl ever… but she surely has one of the best women’s parts ever conceived for them, an actual equal capable of saving herself, as was Vesper Lynd.

As with Casino Royale, the question after Quantum of Solace is… what now? If this really is “Bond from the beginning”, how do we face reworking classics like Dr. No and Goldfinger? If it’s a completely different direction… where is that going? And where can Craig take this brood-y, moody part and still keep it fresh? There aren’t easy answers… but so far, “the new Bond” seems able to find new things to keep it interesting. Quantum of Solace deserves credit for continuing to show that Bond is a viable, present day persona. And I think, in the long run, Bond’s fans will appreciate that there’s more than one way to tell this story, even a dark, moody way. Resistance, I suspect, is futile.