The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

Movie Info

You can live! Just ignore the massive head wound…

Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is a man trying to remember his past and put it behind him.  Hiding in a small Indian village with his girlfriend Marie (Franka Potente), it appears Jason might have finally found happiness.  When tragedy strikes, Jason finds himself pulled back into a game of cat and mouse with agent Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) who suspects him of murder.  Bourne must remember his past to clear his name and find out who is hunting him before it is too late.

Directed by Paul Greengrass, The Bourne Supremacy is the follow-up to The Bourne Identity of 2002.  The movie takes its title from the 1986 novel by Robert Ludlum but is for the most part an original script.  The movie was received positively and had a strong box-office showing

I should have just become an accountant

The Bourne Identity is what I wanted from Bond for years.  The Bourne Supremacy promised a follow-up.  Unlike Bond which often had unrelated plots, The Bourne Supremacy continued the story started in The Bourne Identity, which is a plus.  The negative side to The Bourne Supremacy is that it doesn’t live up to the first film.

I really do like that the movie is a continuation instead of simply a “different mission”.  James Bond always took the easy way out by hitting the reset button after every film.  Here, Bourne is still dealing with the crisis of his amnesia and his past.  The story really keeps moving and looks great, but there is a problem.

Admit it, Nicky…even though you are terrified of me you think I’m hot

The problem lies in the script and its effect on the cast.  I loved Franka Potente in the first film and though it is a compelling aspect to have her killed in the second film, it loses a bit of that chemistry that existed between the two characters.  The third film (The Bourne Ultimatum) tries to bring it back with Julia Stiles’ character, but it isn’t the same…but it is a good plot device to really set Jason Bourne on the path to stop his enemies.

The film is bolstered by a great supporting cast with Joan Allen stepping in as Pamela Landy while Brian Cox’s Ward Abbott secretly pulls the strings.  Julia Stiles gets in the mix as Nicky again, and Karl Urban plays the assassin out to get Bourne.

Bourne will not be invited back to Moscow

The movie has a real kinetic nature that made the Bourne series popular.  It is fast moving, smartly edited, and loaded with quick shots.  Watching all the Bourne movies back-to-back does lead to some tiring overlap, but individually, every movie looks great.

The Bourne Supremacy is a solid action film, but not as good as the movies that surround it.  The movie was originally supposed to have a more final ending and reshoots added the conversation between Bourne and Landy.  This becomes an interesting scene in the third movie because it occurs almost near the end of the film…another way that the Bourne series keeps evolving with overlapping stories.  The Bourne Supremacy was followed by The Bourne Ultimatum in 2007.

Related Links:

The Bourne Identity (2002)

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

The Bourne Legacy (2012)

Jason Bourne (2016)