The most entertaining blockbuster of the year, so far

Rating: 8/10 (28 July 2004)

Intelligent action-thrillers are so infrequent these days that when a film like "The Bourne Supremacy" comes along, I savor the moment.
Honestly, I don't know what critics who were confused by the plot of "The Bourne Supremacy" were braying about. If you pay attention - and this is a film that requires us to actually do that, oh the horror! - the plot is anything but confusing. Is it possible audiences have become so numbed by mindless summer actioners that when a film actually requires them to fit together pieces of the plot, many are promptly confused?
I also expected to be seasick given the numerous complaints on this site and by critics about director Paul Greengrass' decision to shoot plenty of handheld scenes. Granted, some of the action's jerky, but I didn't find it distracting in the least. In fact, it only added to chaotic nature of Jason Bourne's life.
He skillfully uses the handheld method during an absolutely sensational car chase. It's not conventionally shot, that's for sure, and proves to be a refreshing - pardon the pun - change of pace. We don't get the customary shots of each driver behind the wheel, then the steering wheels, then the long-shot down the tunnel, then the points-of-view of each driver, then the spinning car wheels, then back to the close-up of the driver. There was nothing graceful about Greengrass' filming of the chase and that's exactly how it should have been. He brilliantly captures the mayhem of that moment and turned it into an adrenaline rush.
This is a thinking-person's film. Screenwriter Tony Gilroy (who also penned the script for 2002's "The Bourne Identity") trusts his audience and doesn't dumb down the story.
Instead of giving us standard wisecracking characters, outlandish visual effects and people we couldn't care less about, Gilroy wrote a terrifically efficient script, giving supporting players like Joan Allen, Julia Stiles and Brian Cox small, but juicy, moments. True, he plays within the conventions of the genre when it comes to villains, but that fact hardly diminishes our enjoyment.
Gilroy's made Bourne cool, smart, quick-thinking. I loved how deftly Jason improvised to get out of jams, finding novel uses for a toaster and rolled-up magazine and a speedy way to tap a cell phone.

Matt Damon proves to be an ideal Bourne. He's calm, emotionally restrained. There's nothing flashy about him. Damon humanizes Bourne and brings a level of depth to this character that's rare in contemporary spy/action films. With this film, Damon shows he might be a better actor than many believe.
Having been pleasantly surprised by Doug Liman's film two years ago, I was hopeful the sequel would be equally as good. I wasn't disappointed.

"The Bourne Supremacy" is tense, action-filled and, above all, thoroughly entertaining. In a summer that gave us bombastic, bloated, boring blockbusters, such as "Troy," "Van Helsing," "King Arthur" and "Catwoman," this film proves that a well-told story, bright writing, fascinating characters and electrifying storytelling always trump even the most eye-popping special-effects wizardry.