By the 22nd installment of a movie franchise that spans more than four decades, moviegoers have a checklist of elements they expect to see in a James Bond flick — fast car chases, extraordinary gadgets, exotic locations and the romancing of beautiful women. And while the latest 007 film, “Quantum of Solace,” tries to return to the roots that made the series so successful, the result will likely leave audiences shaken, not stirred.

“Solace” picks up where 2006’s “Casino Royale” left off, with a brooding and bloodthirsty Bond, played by Daniel Craig in his second appearance as the MI6 agent, out for revenge over the death of Vesper Lynd — his love interest in the previous film.

The opening sequence — a painful rock duet between Alicia Keys and Jack White accompanied by conceptually clever, but visually jarring, special effects — is followed by a series of explosive car chases, intense interrogations and a few shaky, semi-coherent hand-to-hand fights in the streets of Siena, Italy.

Fueled by revenge, Bond shows no mercy, killing everyone in his path, until he is eventually led to a mysterious mob-like organization and corrupt business tycoon Dominic Greene. Played by French actor Mathieu Amalric, Greene is arguably one of the most devilishly seedy and entertaining Bond villains in recent memory.

Facing increasing tension with his boss M, the brilliantly brisk and impatient Judi Dench, Bond teams up with Bolivian bombshell Camille, played by Olga Kurylenko, who has her own ax to grind with Greene.

The narrative has all the potential of a classic Bond movie, but rather than maintaining 007’s sophisticated, debonair persona, director Marc Forster focuses his efforts on scoring picturesque locales — the film features gorgeous sweeping shots of Italy, Haiti, Bolivia and Austria — and distracting viewers with the latest gizmos, including walls and tables that display information much like an iPhone.

The new Bond may be a far cry from the suave, womanizing, iconic spy that viewers are used to, but Craig’s performance of the wounded double-O is impressively deep and genuine — arguably the best since Sean Connery. The death of Vesper, along with the possibility that she betrayed him before dying, gives Bond an obviously somber temperament that makes for a psychologically complex, but sulky and downright annoying, character.

What’s lacking is the charming, witty secret agent Craig portrayed in “Casino Royale.” This time, Craig has no clever quips, no coy smile, no savvy double entendres about sleeping with the latest Bond girl — he does seal the deal with Agent Fields, played by an obnoxiously squeaky Gemma Arterton, but practically ignores Camille, letting the sexual tension build throughout the entire movie. This marks a swift departure from Bond’s typical approach to women as disposable pleasures. The lack of romance is unsettling and proves this Bond to be yet another — yawn — tragic hero.

Despite Bond’s lackluster turn as a character, the supporting cast makes a laudable attempt to muddle its way through the inharmonious and indecipherable plot — the meaning of the film’s title is never explained and is only uttered once toward the end of the film. Jeffrey Wright and Giancarlo Giannini both reprise their roles as Bond’s allies from “Casino” and, at times, are more interesting to watch than Bond himself.

While Forster tries to reel old fans back in with the new gadgets, intense chase and fight scenes, and breathtaking backdrops, Bond purists and new fans alike will be disappointed with the lack of classic James Bond in “Quantum.”

“Quantum of Solace” was written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis, and directed by Marc Forster. It received one and a half out of four stars.