The Bourne Supremacy

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:49 Long
A Review by:
The Dude on the Right

The Bourne Supremacy
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Matt Damon, Franke Potente, Brian Cox, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen
MPAA Rated: PG-13
Released By: Universal Pictures
Release Date: 2004
Kiddie Movie: Not too young.
Date Movie: She might find Matt Damon dreamy, or wonder why you can’t kick everyone’s ass.
Gratuitous Sex: Sadly, no.
Gratuitous Violence: Lots of it, but not gratuitous – it is PG-13.
Action: Lots of chasing going on.
Laughs: A couple of good chuckles.
Memorable Scene: Bourne on the rooftop across from the CIA offices in Berlin.
Memorable Quote: It would give away a good chuckle if I listed it.
Directed By: Paul Greengrass

When “The Bourne Identity” was hitting movie theaters, I thought the trailer looked pretty decent, but really didn’t get that excited about the film. I was so unexcited about the film that I didn’t even go to see it. Then I heard good things about it, and I still didn’t go see it. Finally it came to my cable television channel and I said to myself “Self, let’s give it a shot.” When the movie finished I then said to myself “Self, that was a damn good thriller. I really should have gone to see that in the theater.” This time I was actually excited about the follow-up “The Bourne Supremacy”, and after seeing the film, I was not disappointed.

The first film sets us up with the history of Jason Bourne (Matt Damon). We find out that he is this government trained assassin with amnesia. The movie finishes with Jason telling the government folks to leave him alone or he’s going to bring his wrath to their doorstep. So this film opens with a new CIA lady, Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), running an operation in Berlin that goes horribly wrong, and we see the bad guy placing a fingerprint as evidence, obviously to throw the trail to someone else. Duh, it’s Bourne’s fingerprint. Meanwhile Jason is living with his girlfriend from the first film, Marie (Franke Potente), having nightmares about something in his past, and her trying to help him through it. Then, of course, the bad guy shows up looking for Bourne, Bourne easily spots him, and with a single gunshot Jason finds himself on his way to Berlin to bring his wrath to the government folks. Meanwhile, Landy thinks Bourne killed two of her agents, and now she’s on the hunt for him for all of the wrong reasons, but, as it turns out, it’s actually for the right reason.

Well, I’m not going to go into much more of the story because the whole point of a thriller is to, well, thrill, and of course, give some surprises, so the basic plot is all you need to know going in. With that, is the movie any good? In a word: Yes.

The Dude on the Left still isn’t buying Matt Damon as a super-spy, but for the role of Jason Bourne, I’m finding him dead on. Jason’s not supposed to be a James Bond type, he’s just a normal looking dude who is able to kick some serious ass without knowing why he can do it other than he is some trained government agent. He’s trying to put back the pieces to his life, but other people keep getting in the way.

The movie is filled with a great supporting cast, also. Joan Allen does a nice job as the new CIA lady, Brian Cox is back as Ward, and Julia Stiles returns to her role, and gets used nicely, as Nicky. But the key to this franchise is Damon, and so far the future is looking bright. You don’t have the super-flashy gadgets like a Bond film, but then again, why would Jason have them when he’s not really working for the CIA? But you do get some great chase scenes, and I’ll tell you what, that’s one hell of a tough taxi cab in this film.

If you enjoyed “The Bourne Identity,” odds are you’ll enjoy “The Bourne Supremacy” as well. If you missed the first film, don’t worry that you’ll be lost in the sequel. The film folks to a decent job at bringing you up to speed, but really, all you need to know, is that Jason Bourne is a government trained assassin who has amnesia. For me, “The Bourne Supremacy” gets 4 ½ stars out of 5. It doesn’t get too over the top, it’s got some great chase scenes and some surprises, and the dialogue gives you a chuckle or two to boot.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!