More of the same, but it's welcome

Rating: 8/10 (27 December 2004)

The Bourne Identity was one of those films that some people will love for being different to the average action film, but others will hate for it daring to be 'too' different. Unlike the majority of action movies before it, the first Bourne film, despite having stunts and explosions never put it's emphasis on them, as the focus was always on the central characters and their use of brains, rather than brawn to accomplish their goals. The sequel is basically more of the same, but it's a welcome return in my opinion, as cinema needs films that are different to the majority. It's also a good thing as I'm a big fan of Matt Damon. It's unfair that he should continue to get lumped in with Ben Afleck due to their friendship as he has a lot of talent and I think that the fact he's gone for more art orientated films as opposed to the dumb blockbusters his friend was drawn to like a moth to the light shows that he has a genuine respect for cinema. He stars as the title character; Jason Bourne, who, like the film itself is hardly your average action fare. He doesn't utter one liners shortly before or after blowing someone away, nor does he spend most of the movie trying to look cool; espionage is the order of the day and it works very well in the context of the film.
Because it's plot heavy, The Bourne Supremacy requires the viewer to watch, and the large amount of talking goes some way to distancing this from most other action movies. However, this could also be seen as a bad point as it can, at times, hinder the movie in the excitement stakes and make it difficult viewing for those that do like their action. The movie spans across Europe to a number of different countries including Germany, Britain, France and Russia and this keeps it exciting as it allows the landscape of the movie to change constantly and the film doesn't dwell in the same area. In fact, the film is very efficient on the whole and it never overindulges in anything, which compensates for the amount of talking and allows it to be exciting. Despite it being more stealthy than most, time is still found for a number of high-octane sequences including fist-fights, explosions and a great car chase that looks as if it could have been lifted straight out of Grand Theft Auto.
Overall, I would say that this is a slightly lesser film than the original, but there is still much to like about it and fans of Bourne will no doubt enjoy themselves. It's also recommended if you're sure that every action movie since 1988 is a Die Hard clone...