A smart action packed thriller

Rating: 8/10 (25 July 2004)

Can you guess what movie topped the charts as the most rented film of 2003? In the year that brought us such blockbusters as two Matrix sequels, an X-Men and Terminator entry and even a Big Fat Greek Wedding, you may not hit the jackpot if given 10 guesses and a handful of hints. That is because the $121 million domestic grossing Bourne Identity is the answer to the query, and with movies now being able to double and triple their theatrical runs on the small screen, it is no surprise that this week sees Jason Bourne back for another adventure in the Bourne Supremacy.
For those of you that require a refresher course before sitting down to new sequential installments, Bourne (Matt Damon) was fished out of the water in the Bourne Identity and struggled through the film to regain his memory whilst dodging deadly assassins through Europe. Bourne would later find out that he was once part of the CIA, but he leaves that world behind and runs to a India with new female companion Marie (Franka Ponete) stating that '..if I even feel somebody behind me, there is no measure to how fast I will bring this fight to your doorstep.' Well, this is the entertainment business and a statement like that can only mean one thing.non-compliance. The Bourne Supremacy picks up with Jason's new life being threatened when he is framed for a murder of two individuals of a CIA covert action 4,000 miles away. The perpetrators of the crime want to kill him to cover their tracks, the CIA wants to kill him because they are convinced he is a loose cannon and Bourne dodges both parties from city to city putting the pieces together to help clear his name and ultimately reveal who the is the wizard behind the curtain. Since it is too easy to compare a sequel to its predecessor, I will follow the rule to a tee and reveal that the second Bourne is better than first.
Hats off to new director Paul Greengrass who's only resume green flag was the 2002 documentary Bloody Sunday which chronicled the Irish civil rights protest of 1972. A curious choice then indeed, but now in hindsight, probably the best man for the job. Supremacy flings us through country and city after city with such ferocity that I felt I was reading the bottom left hand side of the screen every five minutes to have revealed the next extravagant location. A director with a flare for documentary film-making knows about pacing and with India, Virginia, Berlin, Munich and Moscow all being thrown at us before we get to the rim of our popcorn bags, the pacing in the hands of simplistic action director may have sunk the film.
But even as I give kudos to the man behind the camera it is the action star with the franchise strapped firmly on his back that I have to give the most credit. Matt Damon (Bourne) has left his fellow childhood friend Ben Affleck in his dust with his choice of roles and acting ability and with the Bourne films he is able to pull off a superagent persona that doesn't seem to realize his ability until forced into action. A scene at a Naples airport where Bourne is detained and sits quietly waiting to erupt is a classic example of what we have come to expect from the once covert assassin. He sits without emotion or expression only to in an instant, overpower two guards and download information from a hand-held computer device in what shoots across the screen in about 7 seconds.
Also back for a second time are Ward Abbott (Brian Cox) as the CIA director that has more secrets than helpful ideas for the cause, and Nicky (Julia Stiles) a CIA agent profiler that might have a few keys to the locks in Bourne's brain he is so desperately trying to access. Luckily these two characters have significant, but small parts as both actors provided weak performances in an otherwise strong cast. Cox looked tired and delivered his lines like he had a bus to catch which is probably truce since he has participated in no less than 5 movies this year alone (look out Stiller), and Stiles breaking down and crying when confronted with the inquisitive Bourne was hard to believe as a character that responsible the analysis of the mental well-being of other agents. As for action sequences, Supremacy delivers two fold over the original. It's climactic chase scene was incredible in its choreography and you will undoubtedly shake your head wondering at what point did they extract the star and replace him with the stunt actor. Damon looks to be the director's human piñata and the authenticity of seeing broken glass fly into his face as his car skids, smashes and ultimately becomes undriveable makes this one of the best car chase scenes since Ronin.
The Bourne Supremacy is more complex than the first and the addition of the Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) character and the complex way to which she is between two agendas trying to find the truth while Bourne both somewhat trusts and uses her to find the truth, is a refreshing way to have a story unfold in a summer of huge explosions and pointless humor. I understand that there are three books in the Robert Ludlum trilogy of Mr. Bourne's adventures and it has been a while since I have looked forward to the hopes of a sequel so quickly after exiting the theatre of the last. But that is exactly what these films have done. We actually care about the hero of the film and we want him to find out more about his past as it sits like a piece of popcorn stuck in our teeth that we want to expose. I look forward to installment three and have already cleared a spot for the DVD box set beside the Indiana Jones and Jack Ryan series on my wall unit. Thumbs way up.