The Bourne Supremacy

Rating: 8/10 (22 May 2006)

With the first film, The Bourne Identity (2002), Matt Damon showed the world that he was a believable action film star. The Bourne Supremacy is certainly a match for the first film, yet it also feels so different (more on this in a mo). However, it still shows that this is a franchise that can easily stand up to any other spy film, even the long running Bond series.
But this is a different kind of film than Bond's various outings. There's no quick one-liners, no endless array of women to pick up, and no high-tech gadgetry. Instead, director Paul Greengrass focuses on the character of Bourne as a person, someone who can feel both physical and emotional pain. He may seem cold at times, but is certainly far from being emotionless. And unlike many spies in films, he can be hurt; he falls on his leg at one point, and has to limp through the rest of the film. This all adds up to a character who feels so human, like it could be anyone you pass on the street. It makes you care about what is happening to him, and also makes you wonder whether all will end up fine in the end, like the Bond films always do; you know Bond will triumph and there will be no consequences, whereas with Bourne you're not quite sure if all will go quite so smoothly.
As with the last film, the action scenes are mostly short and brutal; Bourne has a very physical approach to dealing with the people on his trail. These climax in an extremely well shot car chase through Moscow. Whilst it is an awesome scene, with realism highest on the agenda (none of this fake laws-of-physics-stretching stuff that seems so popular in Hollywood), it does seem a tad too long, and you end up wanting it to finish soon so your brain has some time to catch up. But this is a small point to make, as the rest of the film is so well paced, without feeling the need to bung in an action scene just because there hasn't been one for almost ten whole minutes, like so many films (stand up Van Helsing, we're talking about you).
If there is one complaint to be made about The Bourne Supremacy it is that it doesn't feel as fresh as the first film. In Identity, the audience are as baffled as Bourne about his true identity, and that was one of the attractions of that film  we really didn't know what would happen next. With the majority of his memories returned, we now know what skills Bourne has, and what he would do in certain situations. What made the first film so good was the fact that we didn't know what skills he had; the scene where he uses martial arts on the police for the first time, and his own reaction to what just happened was typical of what made the first film so appealing.
However, the cast are all of high standard, especially Joan Allen and Brian Cox as two CIA bosses vying for control of the situation. Franka Potente makes a brief return as Bourne's love interest and is the source for his emotional trauma, but it is Matt Damon's portrayal of Jason Bourne which is definitely the stand out here. Ironically, even though he is the lead character, he has the least to say in the film, instead relying on shots of him quietly brooding and contemplating his next move to make us feel sympathy for him. This, and the original, is certainly the most intelligent and well-crafted spy film for ages.
Rated: 7.5/10
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Second opinion/Re-viewing:
The score for The Bourne Supremacy was always a bit of a tough one. I felt that although it should be an 8, the fact that it was not as fresh as the first film brought it down. However, having viewed it again I think that it does thoroughly deserve a score of 8. If anything, it is even more intense than The Bourne Identity, and director Paul Greengrass' use of the shaky camera gives the film a gritty, real-life feel that complements what the film is about. Although I still can't decide which film I prefer, I think they are equally as good as each other, and both deserve the same score. With The Bourne Ultimatum due in 2007 - again with Greengrass directing - my hopes are high for a stellar spy trilogy.
Re-rated: 8/10