First rate thriller

Rating: 9/10 (15 May 2005)

I remember seeing the Bourne Identity at the movies, thrillingly shocked at the action scenes, for example an assassin swinging through a window, a car being driven down a flight of stairs. I was also impressed with Damon's moves--lightning fast chops and kicks that barely registered on the screen. I recommended this movie to many others as not your typical action movie.
For some reason I put off watching the Bourne Supremacy until this weekend on video. I can't explain the reluctance to view it until now---perhaps I didn't believe a sequel could be just as good. Thank goodness I finally picked it up: the movie is not "just as good," it is superior. I have watched it three times now.
First of all, the score is really superior and acts excruciating tension to the movie, particularly the chase sequence when Jason Bourne is finally forced to run on foot to elude capture. That chase sequence is the centerpiece of the movie and it is perfectly rendered, beginning with the telephone ring that awakens Jason from his recovered memory and into flight. The score is accompanied by a cacophony of yelling by the German police, which one could liken to dogs barking as the fox is hunted down. Just perfect. His flight through the brilliantly photographed Berlin streets and rooftops, profiled in long shots wearing black reminds you of Jack the Ripper flying through gas lit London. Damon gives an astounding performance as someone who doesn't have to ponder escape plans--he was so well-trained that his body simply does what it needs to do when it needs to do it.
We have fewer and fewer good films these days, so I'm delighted when I can experience a well-crafted adult movie. I'm actually sorry that I can't re-experience the film for the first time--the adrenalin jolt forced me to my feet! Obviously you can tell I liked this movie and I look forward to another episode. I've enjoyed the way Bourne's character has been built--his reliance on maps and schedules, for example--makes you chuckle when he pulls a map out and hastily scans it for directions.
Brilliant movie.