Bond? James Bond? Uh, no.
Instead, you might be shaken and stirred to find someone like Bourne, Jason Bourne in “Quantum of Solace.” The highly anticipated second outing of Daniel Craig as 007 breaks the bonds of Bond in several ways. The Craig era continues to be been more influenced by the hard-boiled, pure action orientation of modern efforts like the Matt Damon series and less by the kitschy traditions that made the Ian Fleming character a silver screen icon for the last four decades.
Except for its gun glorifying in the opening credit sequence, the sashaying of two stunning “Bond” girls, and the name and occupation of the protagonist, there’s almost nothing else about today’s very exciting — though generic — spy thriller to bring to mind the pre-Craig era. His steely sexiness and imposing presence do tend to compensate, however, for what’s missing of the traditional motifs: No tongue-in-cheek attitude or cute smirking. No gadget guru or wild futuristic weaponry. No over-the-top story of world domination or luxury travelogue whimsy.
