‘Quantum of Solace’ goes a little darker, a little deeper

In theaters

QUANTUM OF SOLACE, directed by Marc Forster, written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis, 106 minutes, rated PG-13.

The new James Bond movie, “Quantum of Solace,” overcomes its bum title and risible theme song by offering audiences one of most intense, satisfying action movies of the year.

Bond purists likely will miss those old Bond staples – Q and his gadgets, the passing presence of Moneypenny, the lighter tone. But others will appreciate the film’s inward shift to a darker, more substantial core, which continues to prove a fine fit for these darker, more dangerous times.

Working from Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis’ script, director Marc Forster deepens the work done before him by Martin Campbell, whose smashing 2006 film, “Casino Royale,” was based on Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel, the first in the Bond franchise. As such, “Royale” was an origins movie designed to take a fictional figure made popular by Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and others, and infuse him with a back story meant to explain how, in this case, Bond became Bond.

That’s still true here, with Forster’s movie literally picking up where “Royale” left off in this, the franchise’s first sequel. As the movie opens, we’re in northern Italy, and Bond (Daniel Craig) is caught in the throes of one gripping car chase in an effort to nail those who killed the love of his life, Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), in the last film.

And yet in spite of his stoic appearance, Bond can’t fully conceal his confliction – he is so certain that Vesper betrayed him, it haunts him. Still, onward he pushes in a tale that involves not only his efforts to bring down those who murdered Vesper, but also a larger story that finds him working overtime to cripple one Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a phony environmentalist seeking to secure his future by leading a terrorist ring determined to corner a major stake in one critical world resource. No, not oil. Water.

To do so, Greene and company will need to take down governments and corrupt officials. To stymie them, Bond, looking ridiculously fashionable even when covered in blood, will need to be ruthless while trying to handle a furious M (Judi Dench, marvelously marching in and out of rooms, usually with an entourage), whose trust in him is waning.

Two other women enter the picture. First is Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko), whose relationship with Greene goes deeper than the sex they shared, and Strawberry Fields (Gemma Arterton), an MI6 agent who allows the film an image that might become as iconic as one from “Goldfinger.”

More so than in “Royale,” which gave Bond a fleeting moment of happiness, it’s rage that drives this movie, little else, barely even wit. While there are a few flashes of the latter here, particularly when M aggressively slathers night cream on her face while she barks at Bond, “Quantum of Solace” otherwise is a serious movie whose focus is on revenge and the superlative action that stems from it.

Roaming the world, this is a movie pressed with urgency, and while sometimes the action is a bit muddled due to the chaotic editing, that’s a quibble. Those who leave the theater bored might want to have their pulses checked.

Grade: B+

On DVD and Blu-ray disc

TROPIC THUNDER, directed by Ben Stiller, written by Stiller, Justin Theroux and Ethan Cohen, 106 minutes, rated R.

Ben Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder” has a hilarious opening that establishes its main characters in ways that are so rich, it won’t be revealed here. But it is ingenious. What can be said is that it cleverly introduces audiences to a group of famous men struggling to find themselves midcareer by starring in what they hope will be a hit.

Those men include Tugg Speedman (Stiller), a muscled action-adventure type on the downside of fame; Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson), a rap star best known for his popular soft drink, Booty Sweat; Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black), a heroin addict beloved the world over for starring in such comedies as “The Fatties: Fart II”; and Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.), an Academy Award-winning thespian who takes his craft so seriously, he undergoes a controversial pigment transformation to become a black man for his latest role in the Vietnam War movie all are appearing in now.

About that movie. Shot in some faraway jungle overseas and based on the life of Sgt. Four Leaf Tayback (Nick Nolte), who lost his hands in combat, it eventually leads all down one disastrous path, especially when egos get in the way, as egos tend to do, and when things go unexpectedly wrong for their director, Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan).

Making matters worse is studio head Les Grossman (Tom Cruise), a hirsute mess determined not to lose a dime just because these prima donnas are having a tough time making their movie. Bullying them at every turn, Les instills in them the sort of foul-mouthed fear that drives the action forward.

What springs from this is an unwieldy plot that relies so heavily on surprise to sell its laughs that revealing more would ruin the adolescent pleasures laced throughout the script. This isn’t a consistently funny movie, but when the laughs do hit, it’s as if you’ve been rocketed to the moon.

Grade: B

WeekinRewind.com is the site for Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s blog, DVD giveaways and archive of movie reviews. Smith’s reviews appear Mondays, Fridays and weekends in Lifestyle, as well as on

bangordailynews.com. He may be reached at Christopher@

weekinrewind.com.