The Bourne Supremacy
directed by Paul Greengrass

Review by Rada Djurica

“They should have left him alone,” said Paul Greengrass, the director of The Bourne Supremacy. Greengrass also directed Bloody Sunday in 2002. This is, of course, the second film based (very loosely) on Robert Ludlum's trilogy of novels. The Bourne Supremacy stars Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Brian Cox, Julia Stiles and Karl Urban. The story combines action, adventure, drama, mystery, thriller, all in one. If you saw the first movie, you might be very excited about all the new gadgets, digital media, brilliant images and all that. But continuing the story simply ruined the magic. Maybe he was desperate to collect the money he spent on Bloody Sunday, a film that is good, but which also swallowed lots of money. I must agree, this is very wise. I’m sure that all those who liked The Bourne Identity will enjoy it.

This movie shows what Bourne is like when he's not staring into double mirrors, furiously washing blood from his hands, shouting, "Who was I?" Bourne is a former assassin, which viewers learned in the first movie. He’s now disbanded the group within the CIA called Treadstone and is living like criminal with Marie (Franka Potente). He’s drawn back into the operatives' world of the double-cross, after being attacked by an assassin (Karl Urban) and framed for the murder of two men who were under surveillance by the CIA in Berlin. Though he's good deep down, he is forced to keep playing cat-and-mouse with agents from both before and after he changed his identity.

Bourne races to work out what connects him to a long-dead Russian reformist politician named Neski. He crosses paths with Treadstone colleague Ward Abbott (the always impeccable Brian Cox, who is perfect is such parts) and agent Pamela Landy (Joan Allen). Bourne must figure out how to end his nightmare.

Those who like a good spy film may be unhappy with the self-serving act of confession that ends The Bourne Supremacy, a scene reminiscent of Born on the Fourth of July. The difference is that with Bourne, we get hints of a spy network in Europe, surpassing America's secret services, trying to face their own Vietnam, their past incompetence. What is it between those petty rivals and lack of accountability that haunts them?

The Bourne Supremacy reigns supreme as an engaging thriller, although with a less engaging cast of characters. In this movie, we are treated to action sequences; spy vs. spy paranoia; a plot that shifts rapidly from India to Berlin, from Langley to Naples, from London to Amsterdam, from Berlin to Moscow and New York.

Matt Damon is perfectly cast as Jason Bourne. It is easy to criticize Damon for being boring and bland, but I don’t think he should be blamed here. Who is better to portray a man who has lost his identity? Amnesia is a central plot of the first film, The Bourne Identity. That struggle to remember his past does not factor into the sequel.

Thankfully, the screenplay provides enough back story to remind viewers of significant moments from the first film. Failing to provide context is a common problem with spy films. In this respect, the spy genre is even worse than the horror genre. The Bourne Supremacy, at least, has satisfyingly labyrinthine plotting, involving stolen CIA money, Russians, agency moles and the use of death squads for corrupt ends. These sorts of intrigues, according to this movie, did not disappear entirely once the Iron Curtain fell.