Even better than the first one

Rating: 9/10 (7 August 2004)

I gave 2002's Bourne Identity a pleasant but not glowing review, but I have to admit after several viewings on DVD that the first film grew on me. I've already seen the second one twice, but I had to see it a second time to review it as my first viewing was spent amongst rowdy and ill-behaved teenaged louts more interested in their potential rutting than the taut story unfolding before them on the screen.
Matt Damon returns as the eponymous spy, now retired and trying to live his life in seclusion with his love Marie (Franka Potente). Unfortunately, a Russian hit man (Karl Urban) shows up from nowhere and disrupts that life, and the game, as in the first one, is afoot.
I can't say much about the plot because there are a few wonderful twists in it that you absolutely wouldn't expect, and I don't want to give anything away. This movie fooled me incredibly on one plot twist, probably more completely than I have been fooled or misled in quite some time. But Supremacy is like that  just when you think you have it figured out, it turns around on you.
I think this is actually a better film than the first one  tighter, leaner, and more suspenseful. Though Bourne is still plagued by amnesia, he's slightly more together and his newfound confidence and drive make him even more formidable. What also helps to elevate this movie is not just a better performance by Damon, but by sharp, strong turns across the board. Joan Allen is excellent as his semi-nemesis Pamela Landy; Allen gives us just the right combination of steel and level-headed planning, and she's a worthy foil for Bourne. Though her part is small, Julia Stiles is once again superb as Nikki, and Brian Cox  whom I'm really starting to like  is much more convincing and intriguing as Ward Abbott. Franka Potente, while not one of my favorites, nonetheless is able to once again imbue Marie with a warmth and humanity that makes it obvious why Bourne is drawn to her. And an actor whom I've liked for quite a while, Karl Urban, gives a great and creepy performance as the Russian Hit Man. Another actor I've long liked, Marton Csokas, has a small role as another Treadstone assassin, but he's wonderful.
The action is blindingly fast and tight; fight scenes are like explosions of conflict. Bourne the character is crafty and subtle, and you can easily believe that he's giving the agency a run for its money. The chase scenes are all spectacularly well thought out, very clever and suspenseful. There are very few films, especially in the suspense genre, where the action takes a supporting role to character, but as well done as the action is here, that's exactly what it does.
Director Paul Greengrass imbues the film with a great deal of well-used atmosphere. Landy's team's anxiety when Bourne kidnaps Nikki is palpable, leaping off the screen at you; Bourne's meeting with a fellow Treadstone agent is almost soothing, like the man himself, until things go south, and quickly; and the whole movie, set in winter, gives us a cold backdrop against the heat of the plot. The snow on the ground and the dead trees are subtle but effective reminders of Bourne's isolation, and the movie's mood helps propel the story as well.
Damon here is a cut above. Not only does he perfectly portray Bourne's confusion, but he always manages to convey a sense of humanity through his almost super-human assassin. One scene toward the end, where Bourne makes a confession to a young woman, is simply excellent. But everyone is good here, sharp, quick, focused; the whole film is simply tight and well-balanced, well-played, and it moves so quickly it almost feels like it's over too soon despite being nearly two hours long.
Bourne Supremacy is a very strong film, one of the best of the summer and the year. It fooled me more then once, which VERY few movies do, and it held my attention completely throughout twice  again, which very few movies do. There's an old saying about going to the well once too often, but I would not be unhappy to see another Bourne film. Though Jason develops in this movie, there are many places you could take this character, and I feel like we've really just started to scratch the surface. Don't wait until this is out for rental; see it in the theaters now, while you still can. It's certainly the most suspenseful movie of the summer, and one of the best crafted. They really don't get too much better than this.