The Bourne Supremacy

If you aren't too critical about logistics or plot details and you like action films, then this provides good entertainment. It follows a formula of the protagonist hero working against overwhelming odds. This story is follow-on to The Bourne Identity (2002) in which secret agent Jason Bourne played by Matt Damon, an operative for project Treadstone, is suffering from amnesia and is searching for his identity. In this sequel, Bourne again played by Damon, continues to search for his identity while he is hunted by his own agency. The storyline is based on the novel by Robert Ludlum.

One important sense I got from this screenplay was how small our world has become with routine flights everywhere and instant communication. The action begins in Goa, India, and then moves to Berlin, Germany - Moscow, Russia - Naples, Italy - London, England - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Munich, Germany - back to Moscow - and New York City. Technology gimmicks are sprinkled through the action, but it seems to be all ordinary stuff, no sci-fi.

The plot progresses at a fast pace almost from the start, however this pace was used to cover some of the action and some of the logistics. The camera work in fight scenes was so close that it was impossible to tell exactly what was going on. This avoids the necessity of real fight choreography. It projects the tension without the details. If I watch action, I prefer to see the details, ala Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) or even the Jackie Chan films. There were also some muddled connections between events like bad guys vanquished, but how? There were amazing escapes from pursuers, but how? Nevertheless, the end of the story resolved most significant unknowns.

The role of Jason is a serious part and Damon played it through the whole film with a determined, serious expression. He portrayed the ultimate 'poker face' which was appropriate for the character, but didn't require much acting ability. So in that sense, it was a 'slam dunk' part. His girl friend, Marie, played by Franka Potente, was a carryover from Identity, but her role didn't last very long in this film. Too bad, because I think she has talent. Julia Stiles plays Nicky again as she did in Identity. Joan Allen plays Pamela Landy, an Agency director chasing after Bourne. She's his new nemesis.

The music was unremarkable, with the usual repetitive drumbeat during tense scenes used to build anxiety. The DVD Special Features didn't provide much except mutual admiration blurbs.

Reviewed January 20, 2005

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for violence and intense action, and for brief language.

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