The Triumph of Stand-Alone Sequels

Rating: Null/10 (23 July 2004)

This movie is right up there with the best of 'em...sequels to be exact. I had heard that this was a fine cinematic attempt, but I was really blown away. It can compete with, though not in the financial sense, X-Men 2 and Spider Man 2 because it's not just a more expensive more explosive version of the first film; it has a quality all it's own while still staying true to the plot of the original.
Matt Damon gives and excellent performance along with the rest of his returning cohorts (e.g. Cox, Stiles and Mann) and the steely addition of Joan Allen was an inspired choice. Like the first film, this picture is character driven, making it a gritty, hold-your-seat action film with humanity.
The action is great, no doubt about it, especially the car chase towards the end. I think it would be safe to say it equals (or beats) the one found in Ronin, which was the previous benchmark. The locations in Germany and Russia are great too.
At this rate, you will probably see another "Bourne" flick on the drawing board, because this second installation does anything but disappoint.