quantum of solace

the loyalties of the new bond are not with the state anymore. how can they be when in the post-bush era the spies are seen as merely aiding and abetting the larger imperialist ambitions of the west to all . nor are the enemies the russians after the wall collapsed or the chinese after they became one of the biggest markets. instead it has to be big bad business- everyone’s favorite villain- as it scours the earth for natural resources it can lay claim to and sell – in this case water. wasn’t there a jackie chan film with the same idea last year? the new bond film is nowhere as good as the last. a revenge drama for a traitorous lover is his motivation along with avenging the attempt on the life of m. this reduction of bond to the human has its price. with the ian fleming novels milked dry is the fate of james bond now to be just another hollywood action hero? the action sequences are overcut to a point where they all end up as montages of flashing limbs and gunshots. but a bond film is a bond film and always entertaining. i was expecting more, though, from what ‘casino royale’ promised.