Bourne is back in a superior sequel.

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2005)

Given the unexpected success of The Bourne Identity, a gritty, realistic spy story based on Robert Ludlum's eponymous novel, it was only a matter of time before someone started mentioning sequels (that there are, to date, three Bourne books certainly also helped). And so here we have The Bourne Supremacy, which retains the original's unique realism and stands out as the most compelling action flick of 2004.
Picking up where the previous movie ended, Supremacy begins with Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) trying to live in peace with Marie (Franka Potente), the woman who saved his life in Paris. But while he may have turned the back on his past, the latter still has unfinished business with him: a Russian assassin named Kiril (Karl Urban) has offed some important people in Berlin and managed to make the former spy look guilty, prompting a task force led by Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) and Ward Abbott (Brian Cox) to initiate a manhunt across the globe. Forced back in action, Bourne must uncover some inconvenient secrets to prove his innocence. And as if he didn't have enough problems already, Marie is dead, accidentally killed instead of him by Kiril, making him even more determined to get through with his previous occupation once and for all.
Shot in Goa, Naples, Berlin, Moscow and New York, The Bourne Supremacy is one of the most exciting races against the clock ever committed to celluloid, the director, Paul Greengrass, making everything look and feel so breathtakingly real (mostly thanks to hand-held cameras), despite putting his hero in situations most people wouldn't be able to handle. Luckily, Bourne's the right man, and so is Matt Damon, who plays the amnesiac assassin without trying to give him any unnecessary heroism. He's not here to show off, he just wants to be left alone. The film also improves on its predecessor by giving the supporting actors more space, thus allowing veterans like Cox, Julia Stiles and Chris Cooper (shown in flashback) to add extra meat to an already terrific job in the first movie and newcomer Joan Allen to shine in a handful of arresting conversations with Damon.
With its breathtaking pace, excellent acting and incredibly audacious storytelling (the scene where Bourne tells a young woman he killed her parents is as bleak and moving as an action film will ever get), Supremacy is a spectacular sequel, raising the bar for the sure-to-come Ultimatum.