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Overall Rating
 Awesome: 35.57%
Worth A Look: 42.95%
Average: 11.41%
Pretty Bad: 8.05%
Total Crap: 2.01%
9 reviews, 95 user ratings
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| Bourne Supremacy, The |
by Dennis Swennumson
"They should have left him alone. Indeed."
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Pierce Brosnan jumped ship at the right time, the last couple Bond movies have been pretty lackluster, just one movie trying hard to top the predecessor in spectacle. Let’s hope that the Bond franchise can make a turn around from this current state, with a fresh new actor and a bold new direction, perhaps someone could take up Quentin Tarantino on his “Casino Royale” remake offer. But for now audiences have Jason Bourne. “The Bourne Identity” came out of nowhere to be a surprise hit a couple years ago and rightfully so. The movie was made up of typical spy thriller ingredients, but it had a fresh feel, credit mostly to its director Doug Liman (of the contemporary classic “Swingers.”) and the charisma of Matt Damon. Now we have “The Bourne Supremacy” with a new director in Paul Greengrass, this sequel doesn’t surpass the original nor does it fall short, it’s just sufficient.We are reintroduced to Bourne living off of the grid on the coast of India, sharing a beachfront home with Marie, played by the returning Franka Potente from the first film. Their live together has been peaceful since the events of the first movie, but soon Bourne realizes that something doesn’t seem right, that he’s being followed. After a chase through the town’s streets which ends tragically, Bourne sets out on a mission to find out why he’s suddenly being pursued again. Meanwhile a mission in Berlin overseen by Pamela Landy suspiciously fails; Bourne is tagged as the one responsible because his fingerprint is found at the site. Treadstone is re-opened (basically the operation to capture Bourne) and many characters from the first film return. I saw the original once when it was released in theatres, but some of the connections between the two films were still difficult to put together, it’s best to re-watch the original if you can find it at the video store.
The plot develops effectively, there is excellent character development in both new and returning supporting characters, and the requisite twists are revealed successfully. We know throughout the entire movie that Bourne was framed by a Russian oil tycoon, but it’s interesting to see how these characters discover this. Sure the action sequences are skillfully executed and get the heart rate going, but another aspect that cements “The Bourne Supremacy’s quality comes with the acting. The most notable performances come with Joan Allen’s Landy and Brian Cox’s Ward Abbott, as two colleagues forced to work together. There are some great scenes between them, Landy struggling to have her ideas carried out against Cox’s cocksure experience with dealing with Bourne. Julia Stiles returns in the part that was heavily advertised but barely used in the first, she has a more important role here in the film’s proceedings.
The shining action sequence comes with the film’s climactic car chase; it’s a scene that would make William Friedkin proud. One scene that hasn’t been talked about as much comes with an impressive fight between Bourne and a former Treadstone operative. The scene is well-choreographed and interesting to watch- considering some of the weapons used is a rolled up magazine. “The Bourne Supremacy” does have its flaws, sometimes the camerawork can be a little too shaky and the editing can be a little choppy, but in most cases it contributes to the tension. There are some very corny lines in the script, stuff like “You find Bourne, you go home,” and “Let’s find the son of a bitch and take him down,” sound like the lines you laugh at during a bad guilty pleasure TV show.However “The Bourne Supremacy” makes up for its flaws with its skilled performances and elaborate action sequences that never go over the top, it’s a good summer movie and a worthy sequel.
 del.icio.us 
link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=10220&reviewer=338
originally posted: 07/30/04 09:36:22
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USA
23-Jul-2004 (PG-13)
DVD: 07-Dec-2004
UK
N/A
Australia
26-Aug-2004
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