2004

The Bourne Supremacy picks up where The Bourne Identity left off. Jason Bourne is a human weapon - a low-profile everyman who could flip you over and knock you out cold before you realize you bumped into him. Now, after the events of the last movie, he's lying low with his girl, trying to gain insight into his shrouded past through shaky visions he receives in dreams. He's rudely awakened, however, when a new operative frames him for a robbery and murder and sets into motion a high-level investigation to bring him in - or dispose of him. There's not really too much story beyond that and it really isn't too important. The movie is fast-paced, clocking in at less than 2 hours, and delivers some great action sequences. My personal favorite was a surprising duel between Bourne and a man he corners in the latter's home. This scene of hand-to-hand combat is so intense you'll be frozen to the screen until it dies down. The great thing about Bourne is his quick mind. He constantly improvises inventive ways to deal with changing situations and that, as much as anything else, makes the movie interesting to watch. Observe how he turns a man's house into a bomb, or knocks out a guard and reprograms his cell phone in no time flat. If not for this aspect, the movie would be hard pressed to stand out above the flurry of other such movies on the market. Thankfully it does. It's not life changing on genre-defying - in fact it fills out the action/espionage "Mission:Impossible" mold quite nicely - but it's an above average action thriller that will have you rooting for the smart and sympathetic lead even after your suspension of disbelief has taken a good beating.