Quantum of Solace
Released in 2008, Quantum of Solace was the 22nd instalment in the James Bond franchise and features Daniel Craig as 007 for the second time.
The movie takes place straight after the events of Casino Royale, with Bond seeking revenge for the death of his lover, Vesper Lynd. Along the way, he encounters a mysterious villain, Dominic Greene, played by Mathieu Amalric.
Green’s plans to control the water supply is all entwined with the new organization, Quantum, that has ties to Mr. White and many others Bond comes across in this film. Bond is helped and hindered by Bond girls and Agents Strawberry Fields and Camille Montes.
He also comes up against a determined M, who believes Bond is indiscriminately killing agents. But the biggest obstacle is Bond’s emotions regarding Vesper Lynd, who’d recently killed herself. Bond firmly believes she let him down, but is torn by his love for her.
These conflicting emotions lead Bond on a dangerous path of revenge and self-destruction, with potentially deadly consequences, and are gradually settled as Bond learns more of Vesper’s actions throughout the plot.
Quantum of Solace was met with mixed reviews upon its release, with some critics praising the action sequences and Craig’s performance, while others criticized the convoluted plot and lack of character development. However, the film was still a commercial success, grossing over $586 million worldwide.
In this blog post, we’ll dive into the plot of Quantum of Solace, analyze Daniel Craig’s portrayal of Bond, examine the villainy of Dominic Greene, discuss the Bond girls, while highlighting some of the movie’s best scenes. So sit back, grab a martini, and let’s explore this thrilling James Bond adventure.
>> Rent or Buy Quantum of Solace on Amazon Prime <<
Synopsis
In Bond 22 the action picks up right after the events of Bond 21 Casino Royale, as James Bond is driving his Aston Martin DBS V12 with Mr. White in the trunk of his car to deliver him to MI6.
He’s pursued by henchmen, but Bond manages to make it to the MI6 hideaway in Siena, Italy. There Bond delivers Mr. White over to MI6 for interrogation, but things quickly turn dangerous when M’s bodyguard, Craig Mitchell, turns on them and attacks M, causing White to escape.
Bond chases Mitchell over the rooftops of Siena and eventually catches him and kills the rogue agent. Bond and M then search Mitchell’s London flat, uncovering evidence that he’s working for an organization called Quantum, and a connection with hitman, Edmund Slate in Haiti.
Bond heads to Haiti, kills Slate in a fight, and learns that the hitman was supposed to kill Camille Montes, who just happens to be picking Bond up, thinking that he’s Slate. After an altercation in the car, Bond gets out but manages to follow her to a shipping yard area, and sees she’s connected to environmentalist entrepreneur, Dominic Greene.
Greene and Montes are lovers, and as Bond is watching their meeting he discovers that Greene is aiding exiled Bolivian General Medrano, who is responsible for the murder of Camille’s family.
Greene and Medrano agree that Greene will oust the government of Bolivia out and have him installed as Dictator, while Greene benefits from a seemingly worthless part of the Bolivian desert.
Greene then passes Camille onto Medrano, believing she was only with him to get to the general. Greene tells Medrano to dispose of her after he’s finished. They then head off, but Bond can see the trouble Camille is in and so he rescues her from Medrano’s boat, much to the dismay of Ms Montes.
Bond then gives the information about Greene to M, who contacts CIA in America to know if they have any information on him, but they deny all knowledge. M is quick to smell a rat, knowing they are on to him.
We then see Domonic Greene on a private jet with CIA agents, Felix Leiter and the head of South American division Gregg Beam, all agreeing to a deal. Greene shows the CIA agent a picture of Bond and tasks them to kill him. Leiter dismisses any knowledge, but the Beam assures Greene he will have Bond killed.
Bond follows Greene to a meeting of Quantum’s executive board members at a performance of Tosca in Bregenz, Austria. The meeting is organised through audio earpieces, and Bond infiltrates it. When Bond speaks, all members of Quantum get up to leave, allowing him to capture some facial images of them.
Bond confronts a Special Branch bodyguard and advisor to the British PM, Guy Haines, who secretly works for Quantum. When the bodyguard refuses to answer Bond’s questions, he throws him off a roof. The bodyguard lands on Greene’s car but is shot dead by Greene’s men.
News gets back to M that Bond was responsible for Haines’ death and orders him back to London. When he refuses, M cuts Bond’s finances, and revoking his passport.
Bond manages to make it to Talamone and manages to persuade his old ally René Mathis to accompany him to Bolivia. However, their mission is complicated when they’re confronted at the airport by MI6 Agent Strawberry Fields, who demands that Bond return to the UK immediately.
Despite Fields’ objections, Bond overrides her demands and they check into a hotel, before he quickly seduces her. He takes her to a fundraising party hosted by Dominic Greene.
At the party, Bond once again rescues Camille from Greene’s clutches, and they escape together. However, their escape is short-lived when they’re pulled over by Bolivian police.
The police order Bond to open the trunk of his Range Rover, and they find an unconscious Mathis there. One of the officers shoots Mathis before Bond kills both of them.
Mathis is lying in the arms of Bond seriously hurt from the gunshot wound. As he passes away, he urges Bond to forgive Vesper for what she did in Venice.
The next day, Bond and Camille buy an old plane to survey Quantum’s intended land acquisition. However, their plane is suddenly attacked by a Bolivian fighter plane.
Bond and Camille survive by skydiving into a sinkhole, but are forced to improvise a way out. Inside the sinkhole, they discover that Quantum has been secretly damming Bolivia’s fresh water supply to create a monopoly on the water supply. While there, Camille tells Bond the reason she’s determined to kill General Medrano because he killed her parents and older sister when she was younger.
Returning to La Paz, Bond meets with M and discovers that Fields was killed by Quantum, who drowned her and left her on his bed covered in crude oil.
Later, he meets with CIA Agent Felix Leiter, who informs him that Greene and Medrano will be meeting at a hotel called La Perla de las Dunas in the Atacama Desert to finalize their agreement. Leiter warns Bond to escape as the CIA’s Special Activities Division has been sent by Greene to kill Bond.
Bond and Camille successfully infiltrate the La Perla de las Dunas Hotel where Greene and Medrano are finalizing their deal. There, Greene blackmails Medrano into signing a contract that would make him the new leader of Bolivia in exchange for the land rights. This deal would make Greene the sole water provider at exorbitant rates.
During the confrontation, Bond kills the police chief who betrayed Mathis, and he then confronts Greene. Meanwhile, Camille wants her revenge on Medrano, and goes to his room.
There the general is just about to rape the waitress that earlier served him a beer, but Camille gets in the way and after a struggle she shoots him, avenging the deaths of her family members.
Bond captures Greene and interrogates him about Quantum, but decides not to kill him. Instead, Bond leaves him stranded in the desert with nothing but a can of engine oil, knowing the dehydration will make him want to drink the oil.
With their mission now complete, Bond and Camille prepare to part ways, they share a kiss, and she wishes him luck in overcoming his inner demons.
After successfully completing his mission, Bond travels to Kazan, Russia, where he sets out to track down Vesper Lynd’s former lover, Yusef Kabira. Bond confronts Kabira whos’ with a female Canadian Agent, and discovers he’s a member of Quantum and is responsible for indirectly causing Vesper’s death.
Kabira’s modus operandi is to seduce female agents with valuable connections, putting them in danger and compromising their missions. Bond lets the Canadian Agent go free and MI6 arrest Kabira.
As the film ends, M tells Bond that Greene was found in the Atacama Desert shot twice in the head and with traces of engine oil in his stomach. She then requests Bond comes back, but Bond tells her he’d never left.
>> Rent or Buy Quantum of Solace on Amazon Prime <<
Daniel Craig as Bond
Daniel Craig’s portrayal of Bond in Quantum of Solace showcases a brooding, physically damaged character that lacks the effortless sophistication of his predecessor, Pierce Brosnan.
However, this version of Bond, who bleeds real blood and wears his scars visibly, deeply mourns Vesper’s death while still engaging in the odd casual relationships with women like MI6 agent Strawberry Fields.
That said, he doesn’t seem to think through his manhood, especially when compared with earlier Bonds. Unlike previous versions of Bond, Craig’s version is not just an unattached ladykiller, but a tortured man who kills without hesitation, and is only too eager to go rogue.
His best scenes are with Olga Kurylenko’s character, Camille, who shares his anger and thirst for vengeance against the Bolivian general and the Quantum organization responsible for Vesper’s death.
Craig is without doubt a goos actor, and there are certainly good parts to this film, but much of the lightheartedness is gone and replaced by someone who’s looking deep inside himself for answers without even realising.
Ultimately, Quantum of Solace explores Bond’s quest for closure and peace after losing his first true love and seeking revenge against those who caused her death. His mission is complete, and he does have some closure, but Bond fans prefer the Bond of yesteryear to a brood.
Bond Villain in Quantum of Solace
Played by Mathieu Amalric, Dominic Greene is a cunning and manipulative Bond villain who uses his organization, Greene Planet, as a front for his true intentions. He seeks to control various commodities, including Bolivia’s water supply, and is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals.
Greene is a skilled strategist and financier, using his knowledge of the world’s financial markets and geopolitics to further his ambitions. He uses General Medrano to get what he wants, and also his girlfriend, Camille Montes, as a pawn.
Throughout the events of Quantum of Solace, Greene is portrayed as a man with a dark past that haunts him. And despite his charm and suave demeanor, Greene’s true nature is revealed in his willingness to use violence and deceit to achieve his goals.
His desperation and arrogance ultimately lead to his downfall, as Bond exposes his true intentions and puts an end to his plans for Bolivia’s water supply. His ending is different o most Bond villains, as Bond lets him go free, albeit in the middle of the desert with only a can of engine oil.
We later learn that he had drunk some engine oil, likely going crazy in the desert heat, and he was found with two bullet wounds and traces of engine oil in his system.
Bond Girls in Quantum of Solace
Camille Montes
Camille Montes, played by actress Olga Kurylenko, is a striking and complex character in Quantum of Solace and a Bond girl with a difference. From the moment she enters the film, she exudes a sense of mystery and danger, making it clear that she’s not a woman to be trifled with.
Camille is stunningly beautiful, with dark, piercing eyes and a slim, athletic build. She’s the girlfriend of Bond villain Dominic Greene, but really she’s an undercover Bolivian Agent.
She plays Greene to get to General Medrano, who killed her parents and older sister, and burned her house down when she was young. She and Bond first come across each other when Bond kills the man who was hired to kill her.
Bond is unaware of everything and sees Greene “hand over” Camille to General Medrano, telling him to dispose of her body when he’s finished playing with her. Bond rescues her, much to the dismay of Camille, as this was her opportunity to kill him.
As the plot deepens, Camille and Bond team up to take down the corrupt General Medrano and Dominic Greene. In the film’s climax, they both disrupt a meeting where the deal is being signed. While Bond is there to put a stop to the corruption, Camille is there to seek revenge.
Camille discovers General Medrano about to rape a woman in his room and confronts him. He recognizes her and taunts her by reminding her of the fear he saw in her mother’s eyes.
The two engage in a fierce fight amidst the chaos of the exploding hotel. Eventually, Camille emerges victorious, but the sight of the burning hotel triggers traumatic memories of her family’s death, causing her to cower in a corner.
Bond rushes in to rescue her, and together they flee the burning building. As 007 drops her off, Camille expresses her gratitude by kissing him, but the two don’t take their relationship any further than that.
Strawberry Fields
Played by Gemma Arterton, Strawberry Fields is an MI6 operative in Quantum of Solace sent to Bolivia with one mission: to send James Bond back to London on the next flight.
We first see her at La Paz airport after Bond lands, and she seems like a determined and efficient at her job. She takes her orders seriously and is committed to completing her mission, even if it means going against Bond’s wishes.
Fields isn’t intimidated by Bond and arranges everything, even a run down hotel to help their cover. Bond immediately overrides her and checks into the nicest hotel in town. She’s immediately impressed, and her professionalism and stoic attitude quickly dissipates, as she quickly ends up in bed with Bond.
Bond brings her to Dominic Greene’s exclusive fundraising event where she revels in the lavish lifestyle that he leads. While at the party, Bond assists Camille Montes in making a swift exit, but they soon find themselves being pursued by one of Greene’s henchmen, Elvis.
Strawberry Fields watches the situation unfold and experiences conflicting emotions as she tries to decide whether to assist Bond in his escape with the stunning Camille Montes or not. Ultimately, she chooses to help Bond by causing Elvis to stumble down the stairs, allowing Bond and Camille to flee the scene unharmed.
Returning to the hotel, Bond discovers a warning note left for him at the reception, urging him to “Run!”. This ominous message alerts Bond that something is amiss, but by the time he reaches his room, it is too late.
Strawberry Fields has been murdered and her lifeless body lies on his bed, covered in a slick black oil, similar to the fate suffered by Jill Masterson in the iconic scene from the film Goldfinger.
Although she was only a minor character in Quantum of Solace, Strawberry Fields left a lasting impression on audiences. As a determined agent, she finds herself quickly drawn to Bond’s charismatic and adventurous lifestyle, but it ends in her untimely demise.
Best Scenes of Quantum of Solace
The Opening Car Chase Scene
The opening scene of Quantum of Solace is a thrilling and action-packed sequence that sets the tone for the rest of the film. The scene opens with Bond driving a sleek Aston Martin DBS V12 pursued by henchmen on mountainous roads near Siena, Italy.
As Bond speeds along the narrow, winding roads, he deftly maneuvers his car to evade his pursuers. The camera angles and sound effects add to the intensity of the scene, with close-up shots add to the drama.
Italian Police are there to try and stop him, but when you’ve got henchmen with machine guns trying to kill you, a few traffic cops mean nothing. The chase ends up down a dusty, mountainous quarry and Bond executes hairpin turns at breakneck speeds.
Watch the scene
Bonds DBS is shot to bits and the door is off, but he manages to shoot the driver of the car at the side of him as it careers off the mountain, allowing Bond to make it back to Siena.
An added twist to the plot is where bond opens the trunk and takes out Mr. White, showing viewers that this is an immediate run on from Casino Royale.
Quantum of Solace
Quantum of Solace serves as a compelling follow-up to the critically acclaimed Casino Royale. With a returning cast and the addition of new characters, the film delivers an action-packed storyline that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.
Quantum of Solace showcases James Bond’s tenacity as he navigates a complex web of political intrigue and personal vendettas. Despite its darker tone and frenetic pacing, the film successfully delivers the trademark style and sophistication of what we expect from Bond.
The film was met with mixed reviews, more negative, but it’s a good film. There’s plenty of action, sure it’s a bit of a convoluted plot, but we’re not watching Rom Coms.
Overall, Quantum of Solace might not be the best Daniel Craig film, but it’s a thrilling and satisfying addition to the series that is well worth rewatching.
