Bourne thrills are born again

Rating: Null/10 (25 July 2004)

This sturdy sequel to the modest box-office hit, Bourne Identity, doesn't miss a beat and serves as a solid piece of summer entertainment. In fact, this is becoming the year of the superior sequels what with Shrek 2, Spiderman 2, and now Bourne Supremacy.
The story picks up where the original entry, Bourne Identity, left off. Former CIA top operative Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is trying to remember more of his past while still living with his girl, Marie (Franka Potente), in India. But Bourne is followed by a mysterious assassin who implicates him in a bizarre frame-up of the murder of two CIA operatives in Europe. Enter Assistant CIA Director Landy (Joan Allen), who believes that Bourne is directly responsible for the CIA deaths and tracks him downÂ…..Or is it the other way around? What happens in this cat-and-mouse chase half-way around the globe is a fascinating battle of wits as Bourne uses his cunning to gather clues to what happened and how it may be connected to his traumatic past.
In keeping with Spiderman 2, virtually all the principals of the first film reappear here including some clever flashbacks involving Chris Cooper's character, Conklin. Brian Cox reprises his role as CIA supervisor who knows more than meets the eye. His scenes with Allen's character are fun to watch. Even Julia Stiles gets in the act for a short (too short) but significant sequence. The movie ends with an extended car chase that goes on a bit too long (and vies for rapid editing with another director, Michael Bay). But the story doesn't end there. Credit the script for a quiet, introspective ending as Bourne confronts his past.
What is still refreshing in the character of Jason Bourne is his resourcefulness and expert survival skills which make for a realistic spy thriller counterpoint to the over bloated gadget-laden James Bond series. The Bourne films are a kind of anti-Bond phenomenon without being too similar to TV's MacGyver. If writer Tony Gilroy of the Bourne films got together with the writers of TV's Alias, the mind boggles.

There are some nifty locations used from India to Russia to Germany to, well you get the idea. The editing, as previously mentioned, is fast paced and quite a few cuts are mixed with hand held shots creating tension and excitement and at times confusion and overkill. The acting is strong and the plot is well constructed. Outstanding stunt work is on show here including some trademark Matt Damon fight scenes that improve on the previous film.
On par with its predecessor, this will no doubt jump start another sequel. If that one is as good as or better than Bourne Supremacy, Damon and company have a long franchise ahead of them. Bourne Ultimatum, anyone?