Review of The Bourne Supremacy (2004) by Cameron J — 30 Dec 2011

And so continues the hard-hitting action thrill ride about a loose-cannon spy that went too far and too long with Casual Friday. Yeah, I know that's not the real issue here, but come on Jason, lose the sweaters. I prefer my spies to be well-dressed smooth-talkers that'll take a break from stylishly kicking your butt to order up a martini, shaken not stirred; and the only thing that appears to be shaken in Jason Bourne's world is the camera. Really, when you think about it, a shaky cam isn't all that different from a shaken martini, because by the end of a film like this, you'll probably be about as dizzy as a guy who's had a couple of martinis in him. Okay, it's not a "Green Zone" level of agonizingly annoying Paul Greengrass shaky cam, but even if it was, I don't care; I'd rather have Paul Greengrass' shaky camera, than Doug Liman's numbing dullness. Seriously, Doug, it's an action-thriller film, so pick up the pace, dude! Still, as great as it is that Greengrass is picking up the pace, maybe he picks things up a little too well at points.

Okay, in all honesty, the film dulls down a little on occasion, but it's not like "Identity", where if there wasn't an action sequence, chances are that there would be borderline tedium. Here, there is some slowness, due to there being a little too much exposition, but more often than not, the problem isn't slowness, but too much momentum, in that when we finally do take a break from exposition, too darn much happens at one time. Now, I can't fully blame the screenplay for not spreading things out, because on paper, these non-stop chain of events seem to link smoothly, but in execution, Greengrass mashes everything together too tightly and unorganically. It doesn't help that a lot of those messy chain of overly tight events often follow messily edited action sequences, only instead of being too tight, the action is too loose. A deal of extended action sequences are a little too extended, going on and on, and after a while, you kind of forget why these people are fighting in the first place, leaving your investment in the events to take a blow. "Identity" was damaged heavily by the slowness and story familiarity to the point of almost being forgettable, and here, the flaws are just as severe, but even more effective, because this film doesn't have enough of the humanity that "Identity" had, leaving it in more danger of being forgettable. However, just like "Identity", there's still plenty in this film to keep you engaged and not likely to forget this film anytime soon.

"Identity" was one of you're smarter action films, but this film is even smarter, having snap in its dialogue and complexity in its progression; but really, while this systimatic storyline is fun, it dilutes the spirit and resonance that was found in "Identity", and while the final act is genuine - nay - moving, it comes in a little too late. Still, the film makes up for that by stepping up other aspects that "Identity" did, in fact, do well, with the exception of the action, which is just as sharp as the action in "Identity", but only because the action is overlong and too messily filmmed to surpass the action in "Identity". The staging and choreography are, in fact, better, and although the presentation of the action is a little messy, you're still on the edge of your seat, feeling every beat and blow of every action sequence. Other than that, most everything in this film is getting an upgrade, from the score, to even Damon's performance. Action films a very rarely showcases of the talent of their leads, but when we do get some genuinely solid performances in the midst of all this action, it's quite the treat. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I hope you're hungry, because Damon is delivering that treat, and while he's not delivering a particularly stellar performance, he's still pretty solid, continuing to embody the Jason Bourne character ever so fittingly, while giving him an extra dose of emotion and humanity, and making him even more compelling of a lead. The film itself doesn't have as much humanity as "Identity", so it could have very easily been weaker, but Damon saves the film with "his" deeply human performance that makes this film just as strong as "Identity" and further proves that no one can play Bourne like he can.

Although Bourne's return isn't as slow as his debut, this second part of the adventure still hits its slow spots, but mostly moves too fast, too systematically and sometimes too messily, leaving it to run the risk of not being as memorable, or as good as its predecessor, but thanks to just as exciting action, as well as sharper writing and a stronger performance by Damon, "The Bourne Supremacy" stands as both an equal sequel (yes, I said it), and a genuinely enjoyable smart action-thriller, by its own right.

3/5 - Good.