Directed by Marc Forster whose only film prior to this that I can recall off the top of my head was ‘Stranger than Fiction’, Quantum of Solace begins immediately after the ‘Casino Royale’ timeline, with a grieving and revenge focused Bond after the death of his lover Vesper Lynd.

Daniel Craig pumps out the lean and mean 007 in a furious car chase sequence which opens the movie, this appears to be a subject of great contention. Some like the fast paced start, others seem confused and unhappy that there has been no time for a game of baccarat, a Martini and a quick shag before he gets into the killing zone, personally I found it refreshing. It is not without fault though as the cut scenes within the shoot up and chase are taken from odd angles, making you think you have missed some of the action. From there we have a Bond who seems as restless as he is grief stricken, as he embarks on a Global tour, taking in Italy, Haiti, and Bolivia amongst other places, in the hunt for bulging eyed Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), who by the way is played well enough to give menace to a  otherwise unspectacular baddie and leader of shadow organisation ‘Quantum’.

The pace of action is frenetic, though there are some moments of respite for those that need them, the fight and actions scenes are played out in ‘Bourne’ time, fast and brutal, whilst the old Bond girls seem to be every bit as tough as their male counterparts. Olga Kurylenko plays ‘Camille’ who has her own reasons for wanting a dictator in the making dead, whilst Gemma Arterton’ ‘Agent Field’ is only a brief showing and somewhat of an oddity in the mix as she dallies in the backyards complete with dirty mac and wellies….I’m really not at all sure of the reasons for that! Missing is the gadget loaded Bond, with an array of weapons that assisted him in dealing with small armies at the push of a button, the bone crunching killer replaces the suave, sophistication of old, and to be honest some of the danger to Bond himself, I never once felt he was threatened, let alone fighting for his life.

8.0/10 Tis true that Bond appears to have lost both his sense of humour and the elitism that made him stand apart as Sean Connery’s 007, but not all is lost, a few quips here and there are evident in this exhilarating thriller, though the realisation that a smile is not a sin would not go amiss. There is plenty to sink your teeth into, and although I do not think Bond should follow Bourne, it has at least brought the franchise up to date, what follows will depend on how well they give Bond his own identity as a ‘British’ agent.