Action is ReBourne!!

Rating: Null/10 (16 August 2004)

The eagerly anticipated sequel to the box office hit the Bourne Identity. Matt Damon resumes the role of Jason Bourne, the amnesiac assassin who believes that the now defunct agency Treadstone is still after him and his girlfriend Marie. When a CIA operation to buy stolen Russian documents goes south and their agents are killed, the CIA blames Bourne and sets out to capture him. But insiders know that Jason Bourne is not really Jason Bourne, that name was just a cover for agent David Webb (Damon). Someone has assumed the Bourne Identity and is using it to frame him. When the real killer botches an attempt on Webb's life, Webb assumes that Treadstone is out to get him and decides to avenge himself. Joan Allen plays the bumbling CIA agent in charge of capturing/killing Bourne. Her dimwitted character has a real hard on to take down Jason but very slowly begins to realize that Bourne/Webb is no ordinary run of the mill thief and murderer but a highly skilled and trained expert killer who is now giving himself orders and neither she nor anybody else can stop him. I don't want to rip on this movie I truly truly loved it but I'm about to. This movie was comparable to the original in every respect with the major exception being that some morons (insert cinematographer and director's names here) decided to use the dreaded "steadi-cam" to film the action sequences with the result being that it gave many people motion sickness (not me remarkably even though I sat close in the theater) and you couldn't see what was going on which pi$$es you off to no end. A major faux paus if they were in a Schwarzenegger movie they would be slated for termination the two of them. My other two smaller complaints were that the original actor for the character Picot was not recasted to fight Jason as the last member of Treadstone and that Julia Stiles role was limited to about two minutes (maybe less I didn't check my watch) and delegated to little more than a cameo. I call that "I was in the movie for two seconds now give me some money!" acting. Not her fault at all but she should have gotten more screen time. The upside to this film was they spent less time in formulating and developing a complicated plot unlike the first one they simply picked up where Identity left off. This allowed more action sequences to be included and Damon more time to showcase his acting ability. And a rock solid performance from Brian Cox as the diabolical government official out to screw Jason and everybody else while he's at it. Yes this movie was great no it wasn't perfection like it could or should have been but it delivered the goods which is all you can expect from a sequel and more than you get from most. Just as good if not better in some respects. I have high hopes for a third and fourth movie and will be excited to watch them.