Monday, November 17, 2008

Spy Thrills


Quantum of Solace

My husband and just watched this yesterday afternoon - and we both enjoyed it. It was a typical James Bond, very similar to the previous tale. Bond's not quite back to normal, very angry, and potentially motivated by revenge. When a rogue agent takes a stand against M, things get crazy and a little ugly. M and Bond aren't sure who to trust, but Bond vows to get to the bottom of the plot. He uncovers a man making deals with powerful governments across the globe and backing new government who will meet with his demands.

These new Bond movies are different than the previous movies. There's no talk about the gadgets from Q/R, there's not much banter between Bond and his many women, and there's tons of fast moving action, where it's difficult to tell what's really going on. All and all, it's a good thriller.


Get Smart

Smart, a new agent, passes his test at the right time. When their base is infiltrated and the agents' identities compromised, he's given the green light to go out into the field to catch the responsible party. One other agent (who recently had her face reconstructed) team up to kick some butt. While she's a season field agent, he's been at the desk. With her skills and his crazy luck, they just might be able to pull it together and catch those responsible.

Parts of this film were really funny and other parts just highlighted some of the ridiculousness of spy films.

Max Gordon was out for an evening run, when he heard something in that didn't fit in with his surroundings. Instinct and knowledge made him run faster, fleeing someone with a gun. In a few minutes, he realized that this was no game and he could die. However, in stroke of luck, he escaped. Now, back at school, he's told that no one has heard from his father in over a week. Max sets out to find his dad, knowing that he could be walking into a trap. His mate at school promised to keep an eye on things and send word if he notices anything suspicious. Meantime, Max makes his way to Africa and with the help of people who know his father, sets out to track him down. A boy tags along, showing him the ways of the wilderness. Together they must escape heat, wild animals, thirst, and the relentless men trying to hunt them down. With danger at every turn, will they survive long enough to find and recover Max's father and can they uncover the secret his father buried?

I really enjoyed this novel: the danger, the elements of surprise, not knowing who the characters could trust. It's a great adventure tale and with a tag line of a series: the Danger Zone, I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

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