Well, that's a given

Rating: 7/10 (5 July 2010)

This is based upon the Extended Harder Cut. So, this is Bourne with the whole "it's personal" thing that we got enough of in the 90's. Does it sound like this did not need to be made to anyone else? Then there's how this is just yet another "24" type hero(who completely lacks vulnerability, eliminating any sense of danger), who remains utterly invincible as he kills, tortures(which, as not enough people realize, can lead to the victim *lying*, or agreeing to whatever allegations are made against them... think about the witch trials) and doesn't negotiate with, "bad guys". The thing is entirely black and white, simplistic with obvious plot holes that they expect us to ignore, on account of this being supposed to move fast enough to prevent us from thinking about it. If it wasn't this dumb, or this relentlessly misogynistic, maybe it'd have worked. I didn't care for the superficial, offensive stereotypes, either. This is my first exposure to this director, and I guess it won't necessarily be the last. I do hope that he doesn't always go for flashy overstylizing; granted, there's not a ton of it, still, it's quite gratuitous. The action and chasing is intense and exciting(with well-choreographed fights and shootings) at its best, and there is tension in this. Editing and cinematography aren't bad(no Greengrass shaky-cam). I like that they have them speaking the correct, non-English languages. The acting is convincing. Bottom line, will it keep your adrenaline pumping fiercely for 90 minutes? Well, if you aren't too bothered by the layer of "stupid" that permeates it, pretty much, yes. You want something good to watch that's about the people trade, go for the mini-series Human Trafficking. It is infinitely more compelling and credible. There is a lot of brutal violence, and a little disturbing and/or sexual content in this. The DVD(that I got for a seventh of the price for a brand-new film on that format) comes with an average 18 minute behind-the-scenes featurette(partly in French but subtitled), a three minute storyboard comparison, and a trailer for this as well as for a handful of other movies. I recommend this to fans of this kind of thing. 7/10