Plagued by nightmares and haunted by his past, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is framed by the American CIA following an operation that goes badly wrong. As a result, he is forced to return to his former life as a trained assassin, not only to prove his innocence, but to survive the relentless pursuit closing in around him. A solid sequel that offers a solid blend between action and drama, that rarely slows down in terms of pacing.

Director: Paul Greengrass
Writers: Tony Gilroy
Starring: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Julia Stiles, Karl Urban, Gabriel Mann

Following on from the first instalment of the Bourne franchise, The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy brings a change behind the camera, with Paul Greengrass taking over directing duties, giving the film a slightly different look and feel. Writing duties remained with Tony Gilroy, who once again uses key events and characters from Robert Ludlum’s novel as a loose guide rather than a direct adaptation. The result is a sequel that builds on the prior flick, while pushing the series in a faster, more serious direction.

Much like The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy delivers a fair number of well executed action sequences, including several memorable and well-staged car chase scenes that seem to be synonymous with the franchise too. It’s widely known that to give the film a grittier and more rough appearance, the filmmakers relied heavily on handheld camerawork throughout. While this certainly helped add realism, it can feel overly shaky and a little too chaotic at times, though for the most part it remained effective rather than too distracting.

Another aspect of the picture that closely correlates with The Bourne Identity (2002) is its use of filming locations throughout the modest one-hundred and eight-minute runtime. The filmmakers kept a distinctly American filmmaking style, while making strong use of locations largely outside the United States. Goa, India is featured early on, while Berlin, Germany and Moscow, Russia also play prominent roles in the film’s overall feel and look.

In terms of the cast, Matt Damon reprised his role as Jason Bourne, while Franka Potente and Julia Stiles also returned repeating their roles of Marie and Nicky, respectively. Support also reigned in from the likes of Karl Urban and Gabriel Mann, who adopted the roles of Kirill and Danny Zorn.

All in all, The Bourne Supremacy comes across as a strong and reliable sequel to The Bourne Identity (2002), building on what worked in the first film. It functions well both as part of the wider series and as an enjoyable standalone watch, offering a fast-moving and enjoyable experience from start to finish. The film delivers plenty of well-crafted action sequences, while also including some tense and suspenseful moments also. It’s worth noting that The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) followed soon after, as the third instalment of the franchise.

“It’s easy. She’s standing right next to you.”

Jason Bourne – The Bourne Supremacy