Bourne To Be Riled

Rating: 8/10 (16 February 2014)

This was an excellent sequel to the Identity, just as smart and swift and only slightly spoilt by the shaky camera technique so approved of by the gamer generations.
Trained assassin in hiding in Asia with partner has to re-engage to find out why his previous employers are apparently gunning for him again. This involves a tortuous and complicated trail of hide and seek and destroy across Europe, from Naples to Berlin to Moscow. And imho it is complex – I was hoping to do something else as well as watch this, some hope! It looked bloody chilly in Moscow, how artists suffer. With concentration turned up there's plenty to savour: the marvellous brevity, endless bone-crunching fight scenes, non-cartoon car chases and explosions, the overall sense of realism. It was the realism and the way everything that happened seemed fresh and immediate that helped me through a convoluted plot unflinching to the sharp and well-judged ending. Nearly two hours went West so fast! I still prefer films to be unshaken and stirring, but it's worth putting up with this pretentious angle of the otherwise excellent camera-work for some decent entertainment.