fantastic, a lesson to the jerry bruckheimers and john woos

Rating: Null/10 (1 September 2004)

this film is not only a satisfying sequel, it stands on its own as thriller. what i loved about the first movie went on and beyond here. i love the way jason bourne's character works. now that he knows who he is and he remembers some of what he's done, he doesn't just sail away into the sunset in the arms of a beautiful woman the way a james bond would. instead, he has problems, real problems and after the first film(sorry to use this cliché), the battle is won, but not the war. damon is at the top of his game, he gives his character enough darkness and mystery to keep us guessing and at times he is almost merciless (the scene with julia styles, anyone?), but at the end of the day, we still care about the guy and want him to win. this time damon doesn't have a sidekick, but a lack of dialogue doesn't hurt him. instead we get to guess what's going through bourne's head. and he doesn't have to rip off his shirt to get your attention. it's all in the downcast, dark expression of his eyes. the movie is much darker than the first, but that doesn't put a damper on it at all. the action sequences are awesome (especially the car chases), but unlike most action films today, this has class and reality and the film doesn't feel overloaded with mission: impossible 2-esque sequences where the enemy and hero keep going at it and never seem to get a scratch, take a breath, sweat, or feel pain. bourne does have a few close calls and yes he does whip out those amazing punches, but he's up against people like himself this time and he has to use more than his biceps, he has to use his brain, too. at the end of the movie, he looks exhausted, not sexy. as far as the other performances go, brain cox (we find out more about his character) is marvelous. julia styles is effective. i like that she isn't too macho or smart or too good looking (even with her style and funky hilights). her character reacts the way most twenty-something girls would react. there are other good supporting roles, but joan allen steals every scene as pamela landy. she's tough, but not that tough, smart, but not that smart, and thorough, but not without help. i love her in this role. it's a good thing chris cooper's character dies in the first one. he would've been upstaged. kudos to the cameramen. the camera-work (the talk of the town) is engaging and adds to the grit and realism of the film.