Very complicated, totally unpredictable

Rating: 8/10 (4 January 2005)

Story line and cinematography both very complicated. A lot of thought was put into the story and the cinematography. I've never had trouble following a movie with my eyes but this one challenged me to the limit. The camera moves so fast during the chasing/fighting scenes that the images are blurred, the cameras shake frequently (cameras mounted in the cars as they hit bumps or other cars or take turns at high speeds), the cameras aren't centered, the images are too close. Sometimes the film pans in 3-4 different directions/angles within 1-2 seconds. That's how rapid the camera is. The first thirty minutes of the movie I didn't know what was happening because there was so much information being thrown out and I was ready to not go any further. I couldn't piece together who was who. The CIA agents were talking so fast and soft that I couldn't understand them. Bourne has the CIA hunting him, Germans hunting him, and Russians hunting him. You have a Russian agent in Tangiers who tries to kill him, CIA agents killing each other and Bourne tracks an unknown agent in Germany and kills him. I didn't believe one fight scene where Damon loses his gun and picks up a rolled-up magazine and starts beating this agent to a pulp with it. Hollywood. And when Damon breaks into an apartment or hotel room he knows exactly where everything is: the circuit breaker, the gas line, computer hard drives, etc. (I suppose that's done to save time). Then things started making a little more sense. The film uses flashbacks to help piece together some of the unknowns. The car chase scenes are really fantastic in this movie (if only the editing was more discernible). There is a long tunnel chase/crash scene which is the best I've ever seen. (You literally have to grab something during this scene because the drivers are so close to killing themselves). The stunt drivers in this movie really earned their pay. There are a couple real clever twists that happen in this movie. The music is very well done, it accentuates the scenes very well: not over-powering but not boring, either. Matt Damon did a great job although his involvement was not as active as the first Bourne movie: much of the movie centered around the CIA. Damon can play tough guys without coming off too strong like a Stallone or a Sean Penn which is refreshing. The ending was really good. I suppose that's it for the Bourne series, he has been vindicated. If you are elderly and have trouble focusing your eyes you will not be able to follow this movie. Bourne #1 was a better movie because it was easier to follow but Bourne Supremacy is unlike so many other Hollywood movies that it's a must see.