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Comments
For every 1 of those really clever cuts, there's another cut that's totally random (i.e. a shot of a random person in a crowd).
For example the QOS boat chase and flip of the pursuing craft. I like the film. Visually on screen the pursuing boat is clearly pulled off and flips. I don't need to negotiate and be convinced of that story item that happens in passing. And I'm able to rationalize and resolve it just the same on first viewing, and on closer inspection since.
Pretty rude of Bond not to give Greene a can opener before he leaves.How the hell was Greene supposed to open that thing?😆
Actually, I'm okay with the editing in the dialogue scenes. It's just the action scenes that are unwatchable.
Imagine if the opening car chase, the boat chase and the Mitchell chase, each had an additional minute worth of footage each.
Yes, the film would be 3 minutes longer, but that's nothing. It would still be a fast-paced film, but you'd actually see what goes on.
It would be something like:
Try we posts editing should in write to fun for style QOS.
The whole thing is rushed. One minute we’re in London then after 20 seconds of dialogue we’re in the Caribbean or wherever fighting someone we know nothing about, who bond then poses as, gets into a car with a girl we know nothing about who promptly tries to kill him, who then goes to someone else we know nothing about who tries to kill her. She is then given to the second villain we know nothing about, and then bond rescues her for reasons unclear from a boat before handing her over unconscious. Jesus what a mess
T w pos edi sh i wri t f f st Q.
Because we get a second, if that, in each shot, before we are thrown the next one.
MI6 have discovered that Mitchell had been using some of the marked money from CR. Slate had popped up on the radar because he'd also been using some of the same money, so there's an obvious connection. Mitchell's dead, so Slate's the only lead they've got. Bond's sent to bring him in. Slate's not to be taken unawares and there's a fight. It's not spelled out that Slate's a Quantum assassin but (show don't tell) he's clearly dangerous so Bond knows he can't mess about and has to kill him. That's the end of the trail unless Bond can find out more about him. Who was Slate in Haiti to kill? And where does Bond go from here?
Bond puts on Slate's jacket to cover up the blood, so he doesn't look suspicious leaving the hotel. The hotel receptionist can't tell the blond Europeans apart, thinks Bond is Slate and hands him a package. Mystery woman pulls up in a car. Camille's gone to the hotel to meet a geologist who might have information about the area that Quantum are interested in. She's never seen him and doesn't know that Slate's killed him and taken his place. She sees Bond and assumes that the blond Westerner is the geologist. 'Get in' - pause - 'All right' (me, I laughed!).
Camille doesn't know that Slate was going to kill her - until Bond looks in the case and sees the gun and photo. She catches on quickly, but misconstrues Bond's comment and assumes that he's going to execute her. Camille's unexpected ability to defend herself and get Bond out of the car indicates that there's more to her. Actions reveal character (show don't tell again) and this indicates that she's not just eye candy, there's something deeper at play.
Bond's not only intrigued by Camille, she's also the only known connection to Slate at this point. Why was Slate sent to kill her? Who sent him? So he has to find out more about her. Bond 'commandeers' a motorbike from someone who's been trailing Camille to make sure Slate did the job (and who also assumes that he's Slate). Craig does his Steve McQueen bit, looks impossibly cool while doing it, follows Camille and she leads him to Greene, the main villain of the piece.
Greene expected Slate to have killed her, so he's surprised that Camille's alive and demonstrates his ruthlessness by immediately dreaming up an alternative - give her to Medrano, the secondary villain, instead, knowing that Medrano will kill her once he's bored of her. This is what Camille's been waiting for, however, as she's actually been using Greene to get close to Medrano. Bond doesn't know that, however, and, having sussed that Greene's the one who wants Camille dead, Bond decides to interject and save her. At this point, he doesn't know who she is or how closely she's tied to Greene and Medrano, so once he's got her out of danger, he puts her in safe hands and continues the mission, now hunting Greene.
There you go. It's not that unclear, is it? Or a mess? Really? I'd say it's pretty damn good - I'd want to see that film, man!
Agree that the first 35 mins are rushed, but once Bond 'rescues ' Camille via speed boat mayhem the film finds it pace and is excellent from thereon in
I agree with this. QoS is jarring at first, but it settles into a smooth rhythm by the time the main plot kicks in.
Yeah I understand all that after multiple viewings but the fact it almost takes longer to read that synopsis that watch the film speaks volumes. Characters need to be introduced with purpose. It’s one too many unknowns and piecing together later that work against the films flow.
Like you said Camille is bonds one connection to Slate. So it’s incomprehensible that after risking his own life to save her (which makes sense as she is potentially crucial) that he hands her over and walks away.
I know it’s supposed to be a funny moment,but dumping an unconscious beautiful woman into the hands of a complete stranger doesn’t sound wise.
I think bond has like 5 lines in the whole first twenty minutes.
Also when bond knocks the guy off the roof in a bregenz and greene’s henchman kills him, M says bond shot and killed him and then restricts his movements. Bond doesn’t even correct her.
I like the fog of war aspect of QOS. Most Bond movies spell out the movements of the villains for the audience before even Bond knows what's going on. If QOS had been told traditionally we probably would have seen the corrupt cops take down Mathis and stuff him into Bond's trunk. Instead, we're with Bond when he discovers Mathis's body and have the same shock he does. We're experiencing the story as Bond would, as someone who's essentially on the run and dealing with things as they happen. It wouldn't work for every Bond movie, but IMO it works for QOS.
I like this take. I also look at the frantic feel of the action scenes being reflective of what it would feel like to be caught up those types of situations where everything happens lightning-quick.
That's like a classic romance movie trope. The thing that would resolve a story if it were explained for just a few seconds. But is left unexplained to fuel the plot.