The James Bond franchise is renowned for its dynamic, action-packed pre-credit opening scenes - they immediately draw the audience into Bond's world of intrigue, stealth and all-out combat, often ending in a huge explosion which transitions into stylish credit sequences. Many of these opening scenes function as stand-alone conclusions to missions we never get to see - almost like a trailer, they bear no relation to the central plot which follows. Quantum of Solace, the second Bond movie starring Daniel Craig in the starring role, is an exception to this rule. Here, the opening pre-credits sequence starts off almost immediately where Casino Royale ended. And it's a great, edge-of-the-seat car chase with heavy machine guns firing off as the vehicles swoop precariously around vertiginous mountain lanes. The stunts are some of the most impressive in the Bond series, so dangerous that they led to two near-fatal accidents, with one stunt performer ending up in intensive care. Quantum of Solace was beset with production problems from day one and clearly the final product suffered considerably as a result. The biggest problem was the lack of a professionally-written script, thanks mainly to the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America Strike. With only the bare bones of a script before the strike began, the story and dialogue ended up something of a muddled mess, inconsistent in tone and with more than a few narrative holes dotted throughout. A superbly choreographed opening car chase sadly paved the way for what is one of the most disappointing Bond films of all time.
