TC Candler's Review A-

A new franchise is Bourne...

"The Bourne Supremacy" is not quite the equal of its prequel but it still rises far above the vast majority of entries in the genre. "The Bourne Identity" merited a marginally higher grade for two prominent reasons... 'Supremacy' has hyperactive direction and a missing plot element. I'll get to those later.

This time around, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is still trying to put together all the pieces of his labyrinthine memory. He and his girlfriend Marie (Franka Potente) are hiding in India, trying to live a quiet life far away from the CIA's clutches. However, through no fault of his own, Bourne is drawn back into a web of international espionage and is forced to go on the run again. The big difference in this sequel is that he is now the hunter instead of the hunted. He is after the truth about his past and the only way to find it is to go directly to the source... the CIA.

Joan Allen is Pamela Landy, the CIA leader who is tracking Bourne's every move. She has reason to believe that he is responsible for the assassination of two CIA operatives. Landy and Bourne play a cat and mouse game as they try to extract the truth form various sources.

One thing I truly appreciate about these two Bourne movies is the way that our hero moves with confidence, patience and calm collected coolness. He always seems to be in control, thinking two or three moves ahead of his pursuers. He is not a cartoonish superhero... just a quick thinking and tough espionage artist. He is one of the slickest characters in recent years, perhaps only one step behind James Bond. I hope we get a few more sequels in this franchise.

I mentioned two quibbles I have with 'The Bourne Supremacy'. The first is the hyperactive direction from Paul Greengrass. Doug Liman helmed 'Identity' and was absolutely masterful with his pacing and visual clarity. I always understood what I was watching. However, Liman stepped away this time around and only has a producer credit. Greengrass does his very best to mimic the style of the original but too often gets mired in messy visuals with lightening quick cuts. As a result, I was consistently confused during the fight scenes and car chases. I just missed the sure-handed confidence of Doug Liman. This film seems obscenely frenetic.

The second issue that I had with this movie was a rather basic plot element that was missing. In 'Identity' Bourne always had someone with him... Marie. Their interaction was key for the audience. This time, Bourne is alone for the vast majority of the film and as a result he appears more like a robot than a human being. I wanted him to have a friend or maybe someone to protect. I wanted him to have a real conversation, not just a screaming match over the phone.

Still, I had a really good time at the movies with this sequel. I was thoroughly excited and already had a vested interest in the characters because of the first film. I hope this turns out to be a continuing franchise for Matt Damon... I can see it going in many different directions. 'Supremacy' is not quite the equal of its predecessor but it still met all my expectations as one of the best pure action films of 2004.

© Written by TC Candler

How We Rated This Film TC Candler - A- Richard Propes - B Jacob Hall - C

Richard Propes' Comment

Maybe I was under the influence of excessive caffeine, but I found myself enjoying "Bourne Supremacy" considerably more so than "Bourne Identity." Scripted by the same writer (Tony Gilroy), the primary difference is the direction of Paul Greengrass. As Jacob notes, Greengrass corrects the film's first mistakes. I was bothered less by the film's technical issues, and I really don't expect the storyline in this sort of film to make sense. Thus, it became a simple, enjoyable action flick.

Jacob Hall's Comment

Pros:
-Well acted and filled with interesting characters, especially Damon's Jason Bourne, who has vastly matured as a hero
-Exciting dramatically

Cons:
-Technically abysmal (more on this)
-Action that makes no sense
-Story that makes no sense

Odd, no? The sequel corrects everything that the first did wrong, but in the process screws up what it did right.