20 Easter Eggs You Somehow Missed In Quantum Of Solace

19. Bond's Sensitive Side

Quantum Of Solace Easter Eggs
MGM/Columbia Pictures

Audiences got a rare glimpse of James Bond's sensitive side in Casino Royale when, after a brutal fight in a stairwell at the Hotel Splendide in Montenegro, he comforted Eva Green's Vesper Lynd in a shower without taking advantage of her.

A similar scene features in Quantum of Solace, but is largely overlooked because it wastes one of Bond's best modern onscreen allies: Giancarlo Giannini's René Mathis. Introduced in Casino Royale, Giannini's Mathis looked set to become one of Bond's closest allies, recalling the genuine friendship between Double-0 Seven and the worldly Deuxième Bureau agent in Ian Fleming's novels (although Mathis is an MI6 operative in Daniel Craig's Bond films).

Fans of the literary Bond were therefore stunned when Mathis was detained in Casino Royale. In Quantum of Solace, it is revealed that he was tortured before his innocence was proven; he then retired and MI6 purchased a stunning house for him in Talamone, Tuscany, all of which sounds very trite given that the film starts immediately after Casino Royale ended.

However, one of the worst offences that the film commits is to unceremoniously kill Mathis off in a Bolivian alleyway when the police try to frame and kill James Bond for his murder. Mathis does not die immediately and Double-0 Seven responds to his mortally wounded ally's pleas not to be left alone, cradling Mathis in his arms. Before he passes away, Mathis mistakes Camille for Vesper Lynd and asks Bond to forgive Vesper and move on.

It is a waste of a good character, but Mathis's death in Quantum of Solace is a good visual reference to Bond comforting Vesper in Casino Royale. Sadly, Double-0 Seven then unforgivably dumps Mathis's body in a skip and steals his money...

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I started writing for WhatCulture in July 2020. I have always enjoyed reading and writing. I have contributed to several short story competitions and I have occasionally been fortunate enough to have my work published. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I also started reviewing films on my Facebook page. Numerous friends and contacts suggested that I should start my own website for reviewing films, but I wanted something a bit more diverse - and so here I am! My interests focus on film and television mainly, but I also occasionally produce articles that venture into other areas as well. In particular, I am a fan of the under appreciated sequel (of which there are many), but I also like the classics and the mainstream too.