Entertainment, Movies - Army Times

Brooding Bond

Bond is back, and boy, is he ticked.

That’s James Bond, of course, Her Majesty’s best (and best-dressed) spy. His license to kill is fully intact in “Quantum of Solace,” and getting quite a workout. Because not only is Bond mad, nursing a righteous anger, he’s also brokenhearted.

Yes! James Bond, who treats women like disposable entertainment options, is depressed over the loss of his one true love.

Remember, however, that this is the new-model (though old-school) Bond, as portrayed by Daniel Craig, surely the best choice for the tux and martini since Sean Connery. Leave the quips behind — our man Bond these days would rather make you dead than make you laugh.

That’s something of a problem, actually, for Bond’s employers and, occasionally, the audience. As M (Judi Dench) points out, it would be helpful if Bond could stop killing all the investigative leads. (“I’ll do my best, mum.”) We get that he’s a Serious Man on Serious Business, made even more intense by his grief. But really, Bond, couldn’t you smile once in a while?

Bond is trying to track down both the requisite bad guy (Mathieu Amalric) and get to the bottom of what he believes to be his betrayal at the hands of his late lover (see 2006’s “Casino Royale” for details). M is not the only one worried that he’s letting his emotions (such as they are) get the best of him, clouding his judgment and maybe even pushing him over the edge.

“Quantum,” the first sequel in the series, begins, as Bond films must, with a hellbent-for-leather chase scene. Soon Bond and M are trying to stop a shadowy organization that is surprisingly well-positioned. The stakes aren’t as high as we might like — sure, stealing natural resources is bad, but Bond bad? — but really, coherence isn’t what we’re after here.

High-flying adventure is, and director Marc Forster delivers it in spades.

Along the way he enlists the aid of Camille (Olga Kurylenko), who is looking for her own version of solace, and Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini), back from “Casino Royale.” There’s also the Bond Girl fling, with agent Strawberry Fields (Gemma Arterton).

There are clever touches — a group bad-guy phone call in an unexpected venue, for one — but mostly Bond is working out his grief; woe be to the unfortunate villain who gets in his way.

And what’s wrong with that? Nothing. “Quantum” is hugely entertaining, and Craig is first-rate.

Dench is outstanding, as ever — loyal to Bond, but not to a fault.

But the real star is the action, the hysterically convoluted fights, the bone-crunching adventures. One wonders where we go from here. Can the action scenes in the next Bond film be even more crazily intricate, more daringly choreographed?

Who cares? Enjoy “Quantum of Solace” for what it is, a high-octane, winning installment of the Bond series that hits the ground running and never lets up.

How do you mend a broken heart? This might not be the ideal way, but it works for 007.