With publicity for Skyfall practically burrowing its way through my eyelids, I felt that it was about time that I re-watched Daniel Craig’s James Bond films. My summations are as follows: Casino Royale = Perfect. Quantum of Solace = Salvageable.

Quantum of Solace has MANY problems. The most severe of which is that the story is too difficult to follow, and when you do understand it, you realise that it simply isn’t good enough. As I’m sure Skyfall is going to be as groundbreaking as Casino Royale, I’ve decidedto restructure Quantum of Solace in order to get it to stand shoulder to shoulder with these two cinematic masterpieces.

Let’s start at the beginning. In the first fifteen minutes of QOS we have the Aston car chase, Mr. White’s wonderfully performed interrogation scene, the rooftop chase, the Cirque-du-Soleil-styled fight scene between Bond and the ‘bent’ MI6 agent, and Jack White’s bafflingly poor Bond theme. I’m keeping all of these components bar one – so hit the road Jack. I will, however, remove an integral line from the scene before Mr. White’s interrogation. When M informs Bond that Vesper’s boyfriend (Yusef Kabira) is still at large, Bond replies “I’m not gonna go chasing him, he’s not important.” That is where the writers are unforgivably wrong, because that is the sequel to Casino Royale right there. This film has to be about Bond neglecting his investigation into Quantum due to his obsessive desire to fulfill his personal vendetta against Yusef Kabira. After all, that’s what the film’s title promises!

At this point then, our A and B storylines are there. Mr. White reveals the scale of Quantum, gives the impression that he is in charge, and then escapes. Bond learns that Yusef Kabira is still at large and is in all likelihood using the same deception on another girl.

In the released version, a very rushed scene explains that Mitchell (the ‘bent’ MI6 agent) had some of Le Chiffre’s marked money in his wallet and had recently funded an assassin in Haiti. Bond takes up this lead back into Quantum and is involved in an intense fight in a hotel room. We are then introduced to the misused character of Camille, and the film’s central villain, Dominic Greene. I’m going to omit Camille’s involvement here, and save her entrance for later.

There is actually a third villain mentioned throughout the film who hardly surfaces: Guy Haines, an advisor to the British Prime Minister. He is a member of Quantum and apparently the original ending focused on Bond tracking him down and executing Mr. White at his house. In this rewrite, I’m pushing Haines AND Greene forwards as two separate, but equal members of Quantum. Greene can go ahead with his Bolivian coup d’état water bill story, and Haines can be on a higher lever as the facilitator to the British and U.S governments. It’s far more interesting to see Haines persuading the CIA to let the coup take place, and, since Greene has reported that Bond is sniffing around, far more credible for Haines to go behind M’s back and arrange for Bond’s execution with the CIA. That is what happens anyway, it’s just a better way of doing it.

Bond being ‘turned’ is fleetingly mentioned by the British government in the released version, but is never followed up. I like this idea, so I propose that Bond makes the mistake of hacking into MI6’s computers to find information on Kabira’s whereabouts. M and Haines notice that Bond has done this, and begin to argue about his loyalty and motivation. Bond then leaves a trail of carnage in his initial pursuit of Kabira, which Haines uses as ‘evidence’ to suggest that Bond has been turned. Haines destroys Bond’s credibility and pushes for his removal, and M finds it impossible to defend him.

In the released version, the opera scene is where Mr. White retires from the film, and where Dominic Greene takes centre stage: which are both unforgivable decisions. At one point Greene says, “we have already begun destabilising the government,” which to me, is a throwaway line of lazy writing, which isn’t good enough for a Bond film. Destabilising the government isn’t Greene’s role. His role is to secure the reservoirs by manipulating the geologists and the new dictator. So I say: enter another Quantum member who is responsible for destabilising the Bolivian government: Yusef Kabira!

While Bond eavesdrops on Quantum’s meeting from the backstage area of the opera, Haines could use Kabira’s name, which then prompts Bond to change his objective from the capture of Quantum, to Kabira’s execution. Bond could then meet and battle with Kabira for the first time, but since it’s only the second act, Kabira must then escape as Greene’s heavies distract Bond. After Bond has dealt with his assailants, I’m substituting Bond’s capture of Haines’ bodyguard (as happens in the released film), for the capture of Haines himself. Haines then informs Bond that he has ruined his name at MI6, set the CIA onto him, and then further reveals that it was he who introduced Vesper to Kabira (since Vesper and Haines worked together at MI6). Bond throws Haines off the roof, killing him, which results in MI6 and the CIA changing their capture order on Bond to a ‘shoot to kill.’

Bond goes to see Mathis who provides him with finances and a new passport. He also gets Bond access to his contact in the Bolivian Secret Service (Camille), promising him access to the police force through her. In this rewrite, Mathis does not go to Bolivia. Bond goes with Camille and they find the sinkholes and reservoirs; get attacked by the police and Quantum ect. However, when Bond asks Camille to use her resources, in a story that mirrors Bond’s, Camille admits that she was thrown out of the secret service for using classified information in order to track down the antagonist of her personal vendetta: Dominic Greene.

I’m omitting Camille’s romantic back-story with Greene, and also her dictator vendetta, as they are both nonsense. In this version, Camille wants to kill Greene because he had her geologist father killed for becoming wise to the water operation and trying to stop it. Bond agrees to help Camille but insists that he needs Greene alive to get the lead on Kabira. Camille agrees to spare him but Bond doesn’t trust her. Since Greene doesn’t know Camille, Bond nervously agrees to let her infiltrate the Greene planet fundraising event and meet him.

At this point, we have Bond and Camille trying to bring down Greene and his Bolivian coup. Camille is only doing it to kill Greene and Bond is only doing it to find Kabira. The CIA has agreed to let the coup take place and are hunting Bond; MI6 are also hunting him, but M is trying to have him secretly arrested for his own safety. The CIA now wants revolution in Bolivia, and have learned of the Bond/Camille partnership, so they attempt to take her life at the Greene Planet event. Camille escapes, aided by Bond, who has been watching the whole event take place.

After a fantastic fight in the hotel complex, Bond kills Elvis (I’ve changed Elvis into a Jaws/Oddjob type henchman!) and then helps Camille capture Greene. Greene doesn’t know Kabira’s whereabouts, but gives Bond the location of Mr. White. Bond urges Camille to take her revenge on Greene, but when Greene asks her to ‘make it quick,’ Camille refuses, choosing instead to hand him over to the British government. Camille’s mercy teaches Bond a lesson about vengeance and also works to get MI6 off his back. M has now discovered that Haines was Vesper and Mitchell’s section chief, so she blames herself for not spotting the treachery and calls off the manhunt for Bond.

The part where Bond leaves Greene in the desert with an injured foot and a can of oil is superb, but again, something this dark and sinister should have been for a great reason. In this rewrite, it is Mr. White that Bond takes out to the desert to die, which also permits a moving speech about Vesper and finding that Quantum of Solace. Bond extracts the location of Kabira from Mr. White, throws him the oil and drives away.

I’m leaving the ending scene in Russia as it is, but I want to make it clear that in this version Bond doesn’t kill Kabira because he has learned by Camille’s example. Bond’s act of mercy completes the story arc and also displays an integral ingredient of his early double 0 stage: i.e. making mistakes and learning from them. Roll on the end credits.

Whoops, I forgot to put Agent Strawberry Fields’ storyline in! Shame that.