If there's any proof that the Bourne movies starring Matt Damon have raised the bar for action-spy movies, Quantum of Solace is it. This film marks Daniel Craig's second stint as the legendary agent James Bond, 007, fresh off of his marvelous debut in Casino Royale. Craig's first Bond outing came across as a modern take on the character and his series, updating the tone for the gritty new millenium and giving the hero a new level of seriousness -- less bon mots, more anger and blood. One could, however, also see the franchise nervously looking over its shoulder at the popular Bourne movies, which had elevated the level of intense action to one of seething fury and deadly efficiency.

Yet while Casino Royale appeared interested in creating its own playing field, Quantum of Solace looks like it's decided to play things Bourne's way. The movie begins with no less than four blood-pumping action set pieces in a row, leaving little time for exposition in between. At least three of them feel like alternate takes on Bourne ideas -- a car chase, a rooftop chase, and a quick close quarters hand-to-hand fight. Director Marc Forster borrows directly from Paul Greengrass, who directed the last two Bourne movies -- quick cuts and frenetic shots to up the intensity of the movement. It may be the first time I've watched a Bond film and wondered for a few seconds exactly what was going on in terms of action choreography. The Bourne method sacrifices clarity for kineticism, and although the method is effective for generating excitement, I'm not entirely convinced it fits the Bond series.

That said, Forster at least deserves a hand for being a very effective mimic, because those action scenes indeed generate excitement -- whatever one's opinion may be on how best to shoot the action for 007, Forster delivers at his chosen method. A good thing, too, since this movie is so loaded with action, barely slowing down to catch a breath until the late middle section, which then sets up the climax.

Somewhere in here, I was hoping to see more of Bond's character develop because 007 was actually treated like a character who could develop at all in Casino Royale, which turned out to be one of the best aspects of the film. In Quantum of Solace, that development seems a bit muted -- Bond still burns to avenge the loss of his love, and to make sense of it amid the web of intrigue that both created it and took it away. His search is for the identity of the secret criminal organization that thrives by illegally orchestrating and manipulating various large economic transactions -- by thriving on an underground network of countries, corporations, and guerillas looking to gain advantages in underhanded ways. It appears that the new evil mastermind in 007's world is no longer an overtly self-interested terrorist group like SPECTRE; it's something much more secretive and insidious, and it takes advantage of chaotic global politics, sowing discord in addition to reaping the rewards.

Thus, Bond gets sidetracked into following one branch of this network, i.e. the activities of Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric). This also gets him involved with the requisite Bond girl, Camille (Olga Kurylenko), who has a vendetta of her own. Because unraveling the new mystery takes up most of Bond's efforts, we don't  get to see a lot of detail about how he's dealing with his conflicting feelings for his lost love from the last movie -- he's mourning for the loss while bitter at her apparent betrayal -- except during a few small, quiet moments. But credit Craig as the engine making the whole thing run -- he makes those moments count, and we never lose sight of what's driving his destructive rage, his single-minded quest for some kind of justice.

So a bit of character exists here after all, enough to distinguish Bond from Bourne . While Bourne suffers from an identity crisis and often fights his own government, Bond deals with his personal issues by taking it out on criminal plotters. Doing his duty is not only useful to the world, it's personally cathartic as well. Next time, though, I hope more of this distinguishing characteristic emerges -- it's what made Casino Royale so good, and the wall-to-wall action of Quantum of Solace, while quite entertaining, overshadows the refreshed Bond character just enough to make the movie look a little too much like it would rather be about Bourne.

(Released by Columbia Pictures and rated "PG-13" for intense sequences of violence and action, and some sexual content.)

Review also posted on www.windowtothemovies.com