New Bond is neither shaken, nor stirred

007 is just another modern action hero. And for any Bond faithful, like myself, it's a shame. This time around, Daniel Craig doesn't utter his most famous catchphrase: "The name is Bond. James Bond."

Nor did the iconic Bond tune play until the closing credits. The globe-hopping itineraries of our favourite secret agent and his targets — Italy, England, Austria, Haiti, Bolivia — will remind you of the geographic restlessness, which at times is incomprehensible.

The film deprives us of traditional treats with not a single trace of its glorious past, no visits to Q's laboratories, no quotable one-liners. It begins in the middle of a car chase, with Bond's Aston Martin being pursued by a convoy of cars on the mountain road outside Siena, Italy.

But you can't even enjoy this high octane sequence, because both cars and the characters disappear with all the flashy editing. You could almost believe you mistakenly walked into a screening of the Bourne Identity.

What's lacking in this version of Bond, is substance. We barely see the man behind Bond, just a ruthless killing machine. The loaded conversational battles of wit that allowed us to really get under 007's skin are gone.

And this the first film where Bond doesn't even bed the female lead. Bond's coupling with hapless Agent Fields (Gemma Arterton) lacks spark, while his daliance with Bolivian agent Camille (Olga Kurylenko) doesn't extend further than their mutual taste for violent retribution.

Craig, even though he is dull, moody and pouting ridiculously, fills the frame of a modern, wounded action hero. But just once or twice, could he crack a smile?

At the end of the film, it's worth asking yourself this: is Quantum of Solace the most boring Bond film ever? Sadly, the answer is yes. Bond is neither shaken nor stirred, he's just whipped. And not by a villain, but by the screenplay.