Great follow up

Rating: 8/10 (11 August 2004)

Bourne supremacy
Matt Damon returns as Jason Bourne and I am surprised to say that while I don't think it was quite as good as the original it is a good follow up. Doug Liman's Bourne Identity was a character driven action film that did not chop story for action. The studio was smart to hire Paul Greengrass the director of the excellent Bloody Sunday. While Bloody Sunday was a genius film it was almost a documentary. So It didn't know what to expect. Very little of the movie is actually based on the novel. In the novel Bourne had assumed his real identity and he and marie lived in Canada. Here he and Marie are living in India. Perhaps the only similar note is that someone is killing people and living clues leading to Bourne who is innocent. In the book the killings were in Hong Kong but I think wisely the film returns to it's European feeling.
I think the power of the story is found in the writing. The direction of the actors and the pace is done will but the action leaves something to desire. Greengrass was smart to use annoying shakey cam' in Bloody Sunday but here it causes us to miss out on everything Damon trained for and mostly just gives people head aches.
The film however finds Bourne's moral center and shows us the torment that these memories and knowledge is doing to him.
***Spoilers***
I am sure it was done for business reasons but I was bummed at the death of Marie. She was a good character and I am not sure where they will take the next film since in the books they had children and a family. The scene where Bourne talks to the Russian woman whose parents he killed was excellent in writing, direction and Damon nailed it.
Heck yeah GO SEE IT.