Okay, it pains me to admit it, but Bond’s kill of Slate in Quantum Of Solace immediately reminded me of the close, chaotic violence of the Jason Bourne movies. The brutal intimate knife fight and that slowly expanding pool of blood at the end all feel remarkably Bourne-esque. And that’s not a criticism of the Bourne movies, which I enjoy, but I’d still take Bond over Bourne without hesitation.
Quantum of Solace arrived in 2008, with much of its filming taking place in the aftermath of The Bourne Ultimatum, making the resemblance especially curious. Hollywood has never been shy about borrowing from whatever happens to be working, and Bond itself famously responded to Star Wars with Moonraker. Still, Slate’s demise feels like one of those rare moments where 007 briefly wanders into Bourne territory, only to remind us who does it better.
James Bond is the original J.B., and as far as I’m concerned, he’s still the best one.
