The Bourne Supremacy

The Bourne Supremacy

2 years ago, The Bourne Identity came from no where to become one of the sleeper hits of the year. Now, Matt Damon is back as the amnesiac Jason Bourne and this time he his really mad. The film starts two years on from the last one with Bourne and his girlfriend hiding out in Goa in India. Bourne is constantly paranoid and haunted by dreams of his past killings which still fail to give him a total recall of his past life. Maris has stuck by Bourne but is always trying to help him regain his past memories by writing down what he remembers.

It's not long before the pairs hideaway is rumbled, and an unknown assassin is seen stalking the pair. Bourne uses all his skills to try to elude the assassin but things take a turn for worst when his girlfriend is killed in a fantastic opener to the film. This sends Bourne on a one man mission to try to find out what the hell is going on. Now, this might sound like the storyline to an Arnie film like commando but its fair from it. Bourne is clever, slick, stealthly and above all not to be messed with.

On the other side of the pond, an FBI mission goes haywire when several agents are killed and the powers are be immediately want revenge. But, all the evidence leads to one man, Bourne. So, now Bourne is the hunter and the hunted, and where as in the first film Bourne hid, this time he's not taking no for an answer. Brian Cox returns as Ward Abbott, the leader of Treadstone (the undercover ops team), but this time the power resides with Pamela Landy (Joan Allen). Double crosses and power struggles are rithe and no-one really knows what's going on. This is where the film becomes a stand out and manages to distance itself from the cheesy, weapon hungry Bond films. Intelligence is required to follow the difficult storyline, and the intelligence used by Bourne to find out the answers is at times incredible.

Damon really has found his calling, and its great to see that his career path as continually risen where as his partner in crime, Ben Affleck is stuck filming awful films like Jersey Girl. The rest of the cast support Damon well, and the FBI ensemble team bounce off each other really well. Julia Stiles returns and this time her role is more integral to the storyline, and acts as the only real fanciable female role. It's quite refreshing to see a film of this nature where the lead man is constantly saving the girl, or in Bond's case hopping beds.

The only criticism I have (also mentioned by a couple of the cinema club members) is the intense flash editing which at times make it difficult to comprehend what is going on. The fight scenes are still brutally realistic but lack a style due to the crazy jump shots. This is a minor criticism it has to be said, and the end car chase certainly makes up for this. The exit from the supermarket towards the end is very clever, and the following pursuit has to be seen to be believed. This is what a car chase would really be like, not the Bond style where the hero's vehicle emerges without a scratch.

The Bourne Supremacy certainly builds on the first film and develops Bourne character immensely. Possibly, better than the first and leaves you eager for a third, forget Bond, James Bond, remember, Bourne, Jason Bourne.