Saw the post mentioning that no one has attempted to give Quantum of Solace a rewrite and decided to give it a shot. It was actually harder than I thought. Rewatching it I think many of the film’s issues comes from the director writer than writing. I think the generally plotting of the film is fairly decent, especially giving the ongoing writer’s strike at the time. The main issue is that there’s effectively two films going on: One in which Bond is hunting down Quantum seeking revenge for Vesper and one in which Bond goes rogue in order to stop the CIA financing a coup d’etat in Boliva. My main goal was to try better merge them into a more cohesive story. In particular I want to give Vesper’s former lover, Yusuf Kabira, (ie the reason she betrays Bond and then gets murdered in Casino Royale) more of a role, rather than just having him be relegated to a single scene at the end of the film.

The Changes

· Making Yusuf Kabira, Vesper’s former lover, a major character, effectively serving as the main henchman of the film
· Changing Camille’s backstory. Instead of being a Bolivian agent she’s the daughter of the current Bolivian president and she’s has also been seduced by Kabira. Quantum’s plan is to expose the relationship between the President’s daughter and a foreign agent, thus creating a political scandal that will pre-empt a coup d’état by General Medrano.
· We cut Dominic Greene and the Plot To Steal Bolivar’s Water entirely. We give most of Greene’s role to Mr White.
· Finally, we are going to play up the whole Bond Versus the CIA thing. Lets try and use Jefferey Wright more and give Felix a bit of a redemption arc

The new plot

We are going to cut the opening car chase entirely and start with Bond driving into the Sienna safehouse having captured Mr White at the end of Casino Royale. Waiting inside the safehouse are M and another agent called Yusuf Kabira. Bond can greet Kabira saying something like “How was Bolivia?” and he replies with something witty like “Very stimulating”. The interrogation goes the same way as the original as Kabira is revealed to be a double agent and helps Mr White escape. Bond chases Kabira across the rooftops of Sienna. They can briefly fight but Kabira is able to escape. Cut to the opening title sequence.
After the titles we see MI6 investigating Kabira’s London apartment. In a secret compartment they discovered files on Vesper Lynd including photos of Kabira and Vesper together. Bond is visibly shaken by this information and M asks him if Bond can be trusted to keep his feelings separate from his job. Bond assures M he will. He also suggests looking into Kabira’s recent mission in Bolivar. When they do, they discover that Kabira was having frequent meetings with a mysterious woman at a particular hotel and will soon meet her again.
Kabira meets the mysterious woman, who we learn is called Camille, in the hotel in Santa Cruz, Boliva. The two are clearly lovers. They go to their room but are ambushed by Bond waiting for them there. We then basically get the scene from the end of Quantum of Solace where Bond reveals who Kabira is to Camille and shows her the necklace he gave to Vesper, identical to one Kabira’s given to Camille. Camille is obviously shocked by this revelation. At gunpoint Bond orders the two of them into a car to drive to an airfield where MI6 is waiting to arrest Kabira. In the car Kabira taunts Bond about Vesper. The car is soon stopped by members of the Bolivian military led by a General Medrano.
Bond now finds himself being captured as he is separated from Kabira and Camille and taking to a different site. There he discovers Felix Leiter and several other CIA agents. Initially Bond is pleased to see an ally but quickly realises that Felix and the CIA are working with Medrano and Kabira. Leiter tries to justify himself saying that things are more complicated than they seem, and that MI6 has no business getting involved in Bolivia. He also reveals that Camille is the daughter of the Bolivian president. He pleads with Bond to go back to London and forget about what he has seen. Bond refuses and escapes leading to a chase between Bond and the CIA. Bond is able to make his way to the airfield where he leaves Bolivia, dejected after failing to capture Kabira and avenge Vesper.
We then see Leiter meeting with White and Medrano. This pretty much resembles the scene from the original film where the CIA strikes a non-interference deal with the pair in exchange for the USA gaining access to Bolivian oil. After Leiter leaves, Medrano tells White that he has held up his end of the bargain and accuses White of unnecessarily delays. White argues that they need the support of the other partners of “his organisation” before they can go ahead, and Medrano replies that perhaps he should speak to White’s partners in person.
MI6 discover that Medrano has booked a ticket to see an opera in Bregenz, Austria and Bond goes to investigate. We then get the scene from the original film where the leaders of Quantum have their meeting during the Opera. Medrano is also at the meeting and we hear the Quantum members give their assent to go ahead with Medrano and White’s plan to expose the relationship between Camille and Kabira (who will be presented as a British spy) thus creating a political scandal which will cause a crisis allowing Medrano to seize power. Afterwards Medrano will allow Quantum to take control of Bolivia’s oil fields. With Medrano is Camille who is clearly being held there against her will. When she excuses herself to go to the bathroom Medrano sends one of his men to watch her. Camille still attempts to escapes and Bond intervenes helping her but blowing his cover in the process and gets caught in a very public shoot out with Medrano’s men. Medrano and the other members of Quantum escape.
We then cut to London where we see M getting a dressing down from the foreign secretary in the aftermath of the shooting in Austria. The foreign secretary tells M that the Prime Minister has bowed to American pressure and order that all MI6 operations in South America be terminated. With no choice M calls Bond and orders him to return to England but Bond of course refuses. M once again asks if his desire to get revenge on Kabira for Vesper’s death is affecting his decision-making. Bond hangs up.
In a safehouse Bond and Camille watch as news of Camille’s relationship with Kabira makes international headlines and the crisis Medrano and White engineered begins to take shape. Bond and Camille open up to each other, with Bond hinting at his past with Vesper. They resolve to return to Bolivia and attempt to prevent Medrano’s coup d’état. Without MI6 aid Bond turns to Rene Mathis who, after being acquitted of being a double agent following Casino Royale, is living in retirement in the south of France. Mathis agrees to help them, and they use his private jet to fly to Bolivia.
As they reach Bolivian airspace two American fighter jets begin tailing them, ordering them to land. Bond, Mathis and Rene agree that their only option is to abandon the plane only to learn there’s only one parachute onboard. Mathis tells Bond and Camille to escape while he leads the Americans away, sacrificing himself. Bond tries to protest. Mathis tells Bond that Vesper did love him. As Bond and Camille cling to each other with the parachute they see Mathis’ plane get shot down.
Once they land, they make their way to Bolivia’s capital La Paz. Felix contacts Bond for a meeting, effectively offering a brief truce. Camille tells Bond its a trap, but Bond decides to go anyway. They meet in a bar and Bond is able to convince Felix that Medrano will betray the CIA and give Quantum access to the Bolivan oil fields. Felix tells Bond that they are currently being watched by other CIA agents and as soon as Bond leaves, they will try to kill him. Felix gives Bond a location to go to if he survives. Evading the American agents Bond goes to this location and discovers Felix has left him a file detailing the CIA’s involvement in the impending coup d’état.
We then see tanks rolling into La Paz as the Medrano’s coup d’état begins. Medrano arrives at the state television station to announce his takeover. Bond and Camille race to the station to try to stop him. Fighting their way through Medrano’s men they are confronted by Kabira. Bond and Kabira get locked in a one-on-one shootout as Camille goes to take on Medrano alone. She finds the studio where Medrano is broadcasting the announcement of his new rule. His men have all left to stop Bond leaving Medrano all alone. Camille shoots Medrano and starts showing the Felix’s evidence of the CIA’s involvement.
Mr White, watching this unfold, orders the broadcast be stopped by any means necessary. The tanks outside the television station suddenly begin firing on the building, reducing it to rubble.
We cut back to Bond and Kabira who are now fighting hand-to-hand. As the building starts to collapse Kabira becomes trapped under falling debris. In desperation he reaches out to Bond. Bond holds out his hand, only to drop Vesper’s necklace in front of him. He leaves Kabira to die. Finding Camille, the two escape the collapsing television station.
They go to the Bolivian Presidential Palace as the Bolivian military either retreats or surrenders around them. There Camille’s family is waiting. The two kiss before parting ways.
Cut to a few weeks later Bond meets Leiter on the National Mall in Washington D.C. Leiter tells Bond that Mr White and the other members of Quantum have all gone underground and can’t be found. Bond asks Leiter if he’s been reprimanded for the whole Bolivian affair and Leiter replies he’s being sent on a dead-end assignment to San Monique. The two part as friends. As Felix leaves Bond receives a call from M about his next mission.

I'm always puzzled as to why this movie gets the reputation it gets. In comparison to Skyfall and Casino Royale, okay. It's fair to say it is not the best Bond movie, but it is by no means the worst and there are plenty of reasons to appreciate it. It's transition from Casino Royale was perfectly played, watch the two of them back to back and you could feel like its one movie altogether. I like how it played on Bond's mental and emotional state and his reckless state after the events of Casino Royale. Bond's relationship with Camille - A Bond woman who could hold her own and like 007 himself, was seeking vengeance. Two lost and tortured souls damaged from previous events. They had a mutual respect but the relationship didn't go the typical way in Bond movie where he shags the woman. There is also the final scene, Bond's seething anger to Vesper's boyfriend but still spared his life, always interesting. The sense of ambiguity with his longing for Vesper as he drops the necklace in the snow while walking away from M, the impassive look on 007's face is perfect acting.

Worst James Bond movie of all time? Nah, I don’t think so, not in a world where Octopussy and A View to a Kill exist. I’m not saying the movie is flawless or even my favorite Bond film (Casino Royale is still my favorite of the “Craig era”) but I gotta give the movie credit for having the balls to take the character of James Bond to a place where he’s never been before. First of all, this is the only Bond film that serves as a direct sequel to its predecessor, and we get to see a very pissed off 007 after the events of Casino Royale. He had just watched his love Vesper die after being betrayed by her, and now he’s out looking for answers and revenge. Rather than Bond being his usual slick and suave self, he’s spends a good chunk of the movie all roughed up and bloody. I like how they had Bonds quest for revenge intertwine with the female lead Camilles, and how they made her Bonds reluctant ally instead of simply his love interest. I also thought the ending was great and James dropping Vespers necklace in the snow was a great way to signal the end to this chapter of Craig’s Bond. Like I said though, the movie isn’t perfect and it sort of suffered from an underwhelming antagonist with an evil plot that was just...meh (I’m pretty sure it had something to do with water?) and the whole subplot with Felix (Bonds CIA buddy) just felt like filler. I would still place the movie higher than Spectre but below Skyfall in a ranking of the Craig Bond films.

Original discussion
This is a continuation from a comment I had in a previous thread. I'm going to (briefly) tear down James Bond as a character. He's not the "suave douche" as someone stated. He's a very complex, almost depressed individual who has some serious problems. Note: I'm only analyzing Daniel Craig's turn at Bond in Casino Royale (CR) and Quantum of Solace (QoS). The other five are a whole different ball game.
As stated by Vesper Lynn (Eva Green) in CR, Bond is an orphan who had to rise up through MI6. His parent's deaths and probable subsequent upbringing in a boy's home has left a scar on his psyche that's evident for those who look. His bullish, confident, "I don't give a fuck" attitude is his way of sealing off his vulnerabilities. He was very likely mercilessly picked on in his youth - his way of coping was to become a douche bag himself. Bond is possibly even angry at his parents for dying and leaving him to fend for himself. As a result, the man we're introduced to in CR does not like to rely on others, but is almost begging for closeness with another human being. Hence, his womanizing and other displays of power (for example, killing everyone). He's lashing back at his agressors from his past and trying to make a connection with them simultaneously.
But enough of his past!
Bond in CR, as I said before, holds a great deal of regret at becoming a 00. He can't un-kill, after all. More than anything, his inner need is to feel loved by someone, and have a normal relationship - something that was robbed from him in his youth. So, he sleeps with woman and kills, quite ruthlessly, to cover up his emotions.
Until he meets Vesper. At first, I'd guess that Bond viewed her as another conquest. But she's likely one of the only women that can resist his "charms" and fire back with the best of them (he admits this much after their first meeting). As a side note, I did find the scene where he has to comfort her after the murders in the hotel to be a little sexist, but a very touching scene. He's used to the killing and she's not.
Part of why his arc in CR is so interesting is because this nearly emotionless spy finds his salvation - Vesper. He falls in love with her. She's his chance at a normal relationship. Which makes her betrayal all the more heartbreaking. "The bitch is dead." Bond ends CR more of an emotional wreak than before.
QoS, to quote Robert Ager, does everything a good sequel should. It builds upon the foundations of the first film and takes the character in new directions. Bond is a bloodthirsty maniac in QoS - he's mad at Vesper for betraying him, and for dying. It's his parents all over again. Part of what irked me about criticism of QoS is that people felt it wasn't a "true" Bond movie. All he does is kill. Which is exactly the point! Bond is nearly a shell of a human come QoS, and his emotions are so scattered that this man should seriously have sought out some intensive therapy. Therefore, he slaughters everyone. QoS isn't perfect, but it's a true sequel in every sense of the word. The final shot of Vesper's necklace falling in the snow is not only beautiful - it solidifies that he's finally made peace with his past. It's no coincidence that the next scene is the classic Bond gun barrel sequence - Bond can truly be Bond.
QoS is not a perfect movie by any means - I personally don't like the anti-environmentalist message, and some of the action sequences could have been shot better. Plot's a little bland too. But one thing it does right is it handles the emotions almost perfectly. Say what you will about Marc Forster, but he was probably one of the only directors who could've handled this correctly.
So what does this all mean? Who, exactly, or what, does Bond represent?
It's simple really: he's us. Or rather, the western world post 9/11.
The two films create the message that we're arrogant, ruthless emotionally distant bastards, but when the time comes, we're the only ones that can get the job done. We've been changed by tragedy, only for us to come out swinging. To quote Team America "we're dicks!"
Part of why I like the Daniel Craig Bond films is that they actually have a message behind them, and they bring depth to the character. Unlike, say, Roger Moore (ugh). James Bond has become a fully fledged character, and I'm really looking forward to Skyfall.
TL;DR: James Bond has emotional depth.