quantum of solace

quantum of solace is about what i thought it would be. high speed, lots of explosions and collapsing buildings, chases. i'm glad i saw it, but that's about all i can say about it. every james bond film requires a villain. a villain who is evil and kills people in horrible ways. now that so many james bond films have been made, the question is: in what way is james bond different? he is an assassin, killing people apparently without regret for his actions. the local paper here ran a review that described the latest james bond as essentially a serial killer. and there is that point of view. he who lives by the sword shall die by the sword. still, i guess when a new james bond film is made, i will be among those renting it or going to the theater to see it. maybe i have been programmed by all the other james bond films i have seen. and that is what we need to rise above: to rise above the conditioning that says the man of war, the killer, is the essence of "what it means to be a man."