Review of The Bourne Supremacy (2004) by Filipeneto — 23 Jul 2021

This movie is the expected sequel to "Bourne Identity". Despite having another director (the first was directed by Doug Liman and this was directed by Paul Greengrass), the script was secured by the same author, Tony Gilroy, which contributed decisively, I don't doubt, to the feeling of unity I got when watching both. In fact, the points of contact between the two stories are evident in the way they marry and harmonize, forming a homogeneous whole.

In this film, Bourne is in Goa (an Indian city with a strong connection to Portugal), where he ends up being chased and sees his girlfriend die. From there, he understands that something is up, and that he has returned to being a target to shoot down for the CIA, for whatever reason he doesn't know. Of course, he's been the target of a very well-crafted plot at the highest levels of the organization, and he's going to have to flee and defend himself as they try to kill him. Most of the film consists of pure action, with mind-blowing chases, shooting and tension: in an effort not to displease those who liked its predecessor, the film offers more of the same. Despite that, I felt that there was an effort on the part of the script to put more emphasis on the story told, and to give us a good story, not just an excuse for endless action scenes. For me, that's enough to make this movie even more interesting than the first one.

Matt Damon continues the good work he started on the franchise's initial film, even managing to develop his character further and work on it better. If I found what I saw in the first film uninteresting, I am pleased to see a general improvement in the actor's work, and also in the material he was given to work with. Joan Allen was excellent at bringing to life Pamela Landy, the director of the CIA who, despite leading the effort to hunt down Bourne, will also try to understand her motives and understand the reasons that drive him to act. She is charismatic and effortlessly grabs our attention. Julia Stiles, back in the role of Nicky, a hypothetical love interest from Bourne's past, is equally happy in her work. Brian Cox and Carl Urban are also very good. In this film, it is Franka Potente who loses out, with her character disappearing from the scene.

Technically, it's a film equivalent to its predecessor, with high production values and a lot of money involved. The pace is intense and things are happening very fast, so you need to be attentive, or you will miss important details. The film is once again located almost entirely in Europe, cleverly taking advantage of European filming locations in Moscow, Berlin and Naples, with a brief visit to the so Portuguese Goa, in India. The cinematography is discreet but elegant, except for the shaky footage of a series of very concrete scenes. The editing also has moments when it doesn't seem to be at its best, with several scenes out of order and successive cuts. The film continues to have many intense action scenes, with frequent use of good special effects, visuals and sound, and stunts for the most dangerous scenes.