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First off, this is the film that the last Bond, "Quantum of Solace", wanted to be. Truly international characters and settings, spanning Berlin, Milan, Istanbul and the US, and a plot that fits the current financial crisis while never descending into a black and white world view. And who, aside from bankers, doesn't like to see the big banks as the ultimate bad guy. Above all, it features a believable tough-guy hero with brains and good looks whose only weakness appears to be his unfailing belief in justice and a serious case of bedhead. The film kicks off with the sudden and violent death of a man we learn was an undercover US district attorney working with Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen). About to meet an insider of the IBBC bank in Luxembourg, the baddie in this film, involved in money laundering, arms trading and terror organizations, the death and German authorities thwart Salinger's investigation that has been ongoing for years. But the assassination of the IBBC insider and an Italian political candidate with ties to the bank and weapons manufacturers during a political rally in Milan re-opens the case that will span the globe. The chase is on.
The plot is clever, moving at a swift pace, and includes everything from CSI style science, old-school gumshoe detecting and a big shootout at the Guggenheim in New York City. The locales fit the plot and never seem like a travelogue, aiding in showcasing the bank's influence across the borders. It also fits in with the current climate, so it is somewhat surprising that the film failed at the box office in the US. The absence of a big name US star may account for that, as this is a truly European production, directed by Tom Tykwer ("Run Lola Run", "Heaven"), a director to look out for in the future. This is old school Bond without the (by now unintentional) irony and more in the vein of traditional European films along the line of Fred Zinnemann's "The Day of the Jackal" or the British Harry Palmer films. Clive Owen is great as the determined agent and drives the film, helped by a wonderful supporting cast including Armin Müller-Stahl and lesser-known Alessandro Fabrizi, Ulrich Thomsen and Patrick Baladi, to name a few. The main negative point is Naomi Watts - a good performance, but in a somewhat superfluous role as if someone suddenly remembered that a woman had to be added. She does provide some key plot points, but essentially just tags along and doesn't undergo much of a character development. The big shoot-out also doesn't fully fit in and it's unsurprising to learn that it was added after filming ended to get some action into the film (set in the US at that...). Ironically, that's what held back the release to allow it to come out smack in the middle of the big banking crisis. In that sense, the film is most likely a taste of future films tackling the current crisis and Tykwer set a high standard by which they will be measured. Photo © Relativity Media |
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