Something's missing, but it's well plotted and is one of the few films that makes shaky cam art

Rating: 7/10 (18 October 2014)

I was not impressed with The Bourne Identity. It's an emotionless and unfun movie with action sequences that inexplicably stop trying half way through. Interestingly, the film is set 2 years afterwards, with Bourne pursuing the people who framed him for a CIA operation gone wrong and it was almost 2 years before I could be bothered to watch the second one, so it's close to real time for me. The second film is a huge improvement, although still weak compared to Die Hard, James Bond and various other action films. What sets it apart is Paul Greengrass who may be the only director who truly turns hand-held cameras into an art form, and the film actually uses shaky cam properly. The influence of the Bourne films is unfortunate, as most action films don't necessarily know how to handle shaky filming and a darker tone, and sadly James Bond has suffered from the Bourne effect as well. This knows how to handle its elements and was the Bourne film I enjoyed the most.
The plot is more interesting than normal with its themes of conspiracy and memory loss, while the set pieces seem fairly varied although there are too many chase sequences. The script is decent and in general it is a compelling action thriller with a pleasing sense of intensity and there is some sort of emotional centre in there as well. What lets it down? What lets it down is officially the worst action hero ever committed to film, who barely changes his facial expression once and has absolutely no personality. Although there's some emotion, the film can go on and it does occasionally feel like a compilation of chase sequences. I did enjoy it though and it's quite entertaining, and it's got punch for sure. I feel action films need to have humour usually to balance their ludicrousness and implausibility. The Bourne Supremacy, while not a great or especially memorable film and nowhere close to Captain Phillips or United 93, is a superior sequel and a diverting explosion of gritty, hand-held, intense blockbuster fun.
7/10