Bourne A Second Time

Rating: 8/10 (19 July 2005)

Matt Damon returns for a second time as Jason Bourne in the spy vs. spy action thriller The Bourne Supremacy. Bourne is a more conventional action hero in that he does not use all kinds of outlandish gadgets like a James Bond would. The story opens with an assassin hot on Bourne's trail. Soon Bourne is drawn back into a life on the run, as he is framed for a murder of a CIA operative. Bourne tries to find out why. Franka Potente is back as Marie briefly, the girl Bourne latched on to in the first film. In addition to Damon as Bourne, there are several good supporting roles well played: Joan Allen as CIA boss Pamela Landy, who is trying to bring Bourne in; Karl Urban as the assassin Kirill, who dogs Bourne throughout the film; Brian Cox as CIA boss Ward Abbott, who has revelations of his own that Bourne is interested in; and Julia Stiles, who plays sort of a junior agent that has a very good key scene with Damon as Bourne. The pace is pulse-pounding, and Damon as Bourne has great presence and always commands screen attention. The film contains one great action sequence after another. The stunt work is mind-blowing, especially during a protracted car chase where Bourne is in a cab. This is a welcome relief in an action film where CGI technology has become so common that it may one day receive acting credit. Director Paul Greengrass combines hand-held camera-work with lightning quick editing, which mirrors Bourne's dilemma of piecing together his memory as he adds bits and pieces of information to it along the way. This is a first rate action thriller with no obligatory romance thrown in for good measure for once. A third Bourne film is in the works. *** of 4 stars.