'Quantum Of Solace' (PG-13)(out of four)

For all the detractors out there who didn't believe Daniel Craig would make a good James Bond, if "Casino Royale" didn't convince you, "Quantum of Solace" might.

Still, Craig is a different kind of Bond. The first blond Bond, his jagged face is more rugged than the pretty boy Bonds (Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan), but it gives him all the more sex appeal. Too bad director Marc Forster decided for this Bond, sex appeal was out and brooding was in.

The film picks up where "Royale" left off and this time Agent 007's mission is personal. Betrayed by Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) in the last film, he wants to uncover the truth and find out what really led to her death.

If action's what you want from a Bond movie, action is definitely what you'll get with "Quantum of Solace." Almost void of Bond's bedding of numerous femme fatale, his martini is only shaken, not stirred once around.

So audiences must get their kicks from adrenaline pumped up in the form of non-stop car and foot chases, shootouts, exotic locales and mysterious enemies by the names of Mr. White and the evil Dominic Greene.

Greene is the focal point of Bond's rage as the crafty conniver tries to control Bolivia in an effort to control one of the world's most important natural resources. So what does this all mean? Nothing really. It just sets the stage for an intercontinental trek across six different locales including the United Kingdom, Panama, Chile, Mexico, Italy and Austria.

An incredible car chase opens the 22nd adventure as Bond eludes bad guys in an Aston Martin DBS vs. them in an Alfa Romero (we don't know who they are or what they represent, but does it really matter?). The Aston Martin became infamous after the scenes were filmed because it was the one that Craig's stunt double was seriously injured in. You can see why during the incredible nail biters where the $233,000 car takes quite a beating, but that's chump change to Bond and the British Secret Intelligence Service. Our hero escapes with only a few cuts and scrapes, and when it's all over, you catch your breath and think, 'How'd they do that?' "

There won't be much time to ruminate on that thought because soon afterward Bond is caught in another tight situation, this time as he fights with a man beginning in one of the rooms of a hotel, then spilling out onto the balcony. It's one of the most highly choreographed fight scenes seen on screen since the empty hand fighting in "The Bourne Ultimatum."

Bond does just about every stunt imaginable in "Quantum of Solace," including flying a DC-3 plane over a South American desert, stealing a motorcycle and driving it through narrow streets, running an exhaustive foot chase through a bell tower and driving a rickety speed boat that is able to jump large vessels with amazing agility while dodging water bombs.

There there's the new Bond girl in town. Doe-eyed Olga Kurylenko plays Camille, who is seeking some revenge of her own. She's more of a hands-on Bond girl than her predecessors; when it comes to fighting, she chooses her own battles and sees them to the end.

Russian-born Kurylenko, 28, may be new to U.S. audiences, but has a reputation for many steamy scenes in foreign films. In this outing, however, her bond with Bond is based on satisfying revenge. Frankly, the two barely click in the chemistry department.

It's actually Dame Judi Dench and Craig who click in a way that adds depth to the film. As "M," Bond's boss, Dench utters one of the best lines in the movie. "If you could avoid killing every possible lead, it would be greatly appreciated," she says with icy conviction.

She's right. It's almost unbearably un-Bondlike when he throws the body of a dear old friend in a Dumpster, then lifts his wallet.

There's a dark undertone to this film much like the turn that the "Dark Knight" took in the "Batman" franchise. This is a colder, more solemn Bond.

There's no room for a dripping wet Craig to emerge from the Caribbean Sea in a La Perla Grigioperla Lodato swimsuit. And darn it for that. We can see an action film any day, but what we love about Bond is his way with the ladies, and his way with a drink. Give us solace: Can we have our sexy Bond back?