This is the Bourne movie I expected.

Rating: 7/10 (12 July 2017)

'THE BOURNE SUPREMACY' was directed by Paul Greengrass and stars Matt Damon, Joan Allen and Brian Cox. ​Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is living in India when he is framed by Russian agent Kirill (Karl Urban) for the theft of millions from the CIA. Kirill begins to pursue Bourne, intending to assassinate him -- but while Bourne and his girlfriend, Marie (Franka Potente), are on the run, a shot meant for him kills her instead. Vowing revenge, Bourne sets out to prove his innocence and bring the culprits to justice, but he has to evade CIA head Pamela Landry (Joan Allen), who is convinced he is guilty.
I actively dislike 'The Bourne Identity'. I was very disappointed by it and don't understand the love for it. Thus, I put off seeing this movie for quite some time. I regret doing so. 'The Bourne Supremacy' trumps its predecessor in pretty much every conceivable way. Franka Potente's character, Marie Kreutz, from the first was probably my least favourite part of the movie and she's gone! I imagine this upset many people but I personally was delirious with it and love the arc change it gives to Bourne. Enough comparisons, let's get into what makes this movie great.
The story. I really like the story for this movie but I don't know why. It shouldn't work for me but there is some mystery and government conspiracy that entices me to like it. I know that this is basically a good way to describe the plot of Identity but it felt so much more refined in this one than it did with Identity. I do have issues with the way the film ends, however. It feels kinda anti-climactic and the final scene is very weak, without context from Ultimatum. I wont spoil the ending but I just wasn't very satisfied by it.
Damon was good in Identity and I will say he was probably the best part of the film. We see his transformation into Bourne at the end and that is fully explored in this movie, and that benefits Damon immensely. It enables him to give a brilliant performance that delves deep into Bourne's mind and portrays a unique blend of pure, unfiltered emotion and pure, unfiltered awesomeness. Opposing Bourne is my least favourite aspect of this film. The villain is very weak overall and I was not impressed or entertained by them in the slightest. Karl Urban's Kiril was pretty cool and provided a physical opposition to Bourne but had too little backstory and motivation to make me really feel invested in his character or care. I get he is a contract killer and that is fine but I would have liked more explanation to his character and background.
Joan Allen was very good as Pamela Landy and was a very welcome addition to the cast. Brian Cox was great as Ward Abbot but I would have liked a little more from him in the long run character wise. The other, more minor supporting cast, all did fine jobs and none of them actively irked me, performance wise.
Aside from ONE poorly done action scene in this movie, the movie was well shot, directed and edited together. Greengrass remains the only living director capable of using hand-held cam effectively and, while he perfects the craft later on, utilises the unpopular technique effectively here. There are next to no special effects in this movie which is both phenomenal and admirable for an action film in this day and age and I cannot thank the crew enough for that.
This is more minor but I love the score for these movies. It's awesome and amazing and badass and has earned my love. I rarely comment on a film's score unless I like it a lot so good job to the composers.
In conclusion, I really liked The Bourne Supremacy. If, like me, you didn't like Identity, I still urge you to give this one a shot. It's got great acting, good action, an interesting story, and while the villain does drag it down a peg or two, it is still a thrilling ride from beginning to end. I'll rate this movie a solid 7 Stalking Bournes out of 10 and definitely recommend you see this great movie.