'Bourne' again
BYL.KENTWOLGAMOTT
Jason Bourne is back. This time he's got the CIA and a Russian assassin trying to kill him - and he still can't figure out exactly why.
"The Bourne Supremacy" sticks with the same basic formula that made "The Bourne Identity" a surprise smash hit two years ago: a globe-trotting plot that is rooted in Bourne's combination of amnesia and assassin training, slam-bang action and strong acting from a talented cast.
At the center of the picture is Matt Damon, who returns as Bourne, buffed up, moving like a boxer and convincingly portraying a man trying to figure out why people are trying to kill him and to get payback for the murder of the woman who saved his life two years earlier.
The picture opens in Goa, India, where Bourne and Marie (Franka Potente) have been living an anonymous, underground existence, clearly in love. That life is shattered when Russian assassin Kirill (Karl Urban) turns up in the small village. Bourne and Marie try to get away. But a shot aimed at Bourne hits Marie. She winds up dead in a river.Bourne survives but burns with pain.
While Bourne is being targeted, another crime is taking place in Berlin.CIAagents are about to buy information from a Russian informant that could lead to a massive scandal in the agency and in Russia. Both the buyer and the seller are killed in a smoothly operated hit that leaves evidence pointing to, you got it, Bourne.
CIA Agent Pamela Lundy (the always great Joan Allen) is out to get Bourne, whom she sees as a rogue agent who has gone very, very bad. She's forced to work with Ward Abbott (Brian Cox), the spymaster who was in charge of the Treadstone project - the assassin team that turned Bourne into a brilliant killer.
That's the setup for a thriller that goes from India to Italy to Berlin to Moscow, that moves back in time to flesh out the story and Bourne's memory and has emotional resonance to go with its heart-pounding action.
"The Bourne Supremacy" is directed by England's PaulGreengrass, who previously did the superb 2002 picture "Bloody Sunday." Greengrass keeps the film taut and lets the action and plot work off each other with great effectiveness. He doesn't have all the style that Doug Limon brought to the original,but Greengrass and his crew get close enough to the original for "The Bourne Supremacy" to be satisfying.
The chase scenes - in cars, on foot, on trains - are particularly well done, with quick cutting that both disorients and grips.
As is the case with all such films, all the action would be for naught without a good story, strong acting and believable characters.
Tony Gilroy has again done an excellent job in adapting the late Robert Ludlum's book for the screen, and the cast is universally strong.
Cox is a screen constant - he appeared in seven films in 2002 alone.But he's one of those actors whose name is a mark of quality for any picture. The mark of his work here is that Abbott's actions all fit perfectly together once his motivation is revealed.
Similarly, Allen is never less than superb, and here she handles a take-charge role with aplomb, making Landy simultaneously admirable and antagonistic. Also returning for a small part is Julia Stiles, whose analyst Nicky helps clue Bourne into what is going on.
But the picture belongs to Damon. Playing against his youthful look and natural affability, he's become Bourne, a stone-cold assassin with great survival instincts and a true heart.That makes him a near-perfect spy/action hero.
The skeptical/cynical take on the spy world in both the Bourne pictures also makes them resonate with contemporary events much more than the old Cold War-based tales. The spies here are far from faultless, just like those in real life.
As "TheBourne Supremacy" credits ran, I was ready to see the words at the end "Jason Bourne will return in -" Just like that other spy movie franchise.
Bond, James Bond,you've now got a serious big-screen competitor.
Reach L.Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or kwolgamott@;journalstar.com.
HHH½
Director: Paul Greengrass Paul Greengrass
Stars: Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Brian Cox, Karl Urban, Julia Stiles
Rated: PG-13 (for violence and intense action and some brief language)
Now Showing: East Park, Plaza, SouthPointe
The Reel Story: Damon returns as amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne who is pursued by the CIA and Russian assassins in this effective globe-trotting thriller.
Jason Bourne is back. This time he's got the CIA and a Russian assassin trying to kill him - and he still can't figure out exactly why.
"The Bourne Supremacy" sticks with the same basic formula that made "The Bourne Identity" a surprise smash hit two years ago: a globe-trotting plot that is rooted in Bourne's combination of amnesia and assassin training, slam-bang action and strong acting from a talented cast.
At the center of the picture is Matt Damon, who returns as Bourne, buffed up, moving like a boxer and convincingly portraying a man trying to figure out why people are trying to kill him and to get payback for the murder of the woman who saved his life two years earlier.
The picture opens in Goa, India, where Bourne and Marie (Franka Potente) have been living an anonymous, underground existence, clearly in love. That life is shattered when Russian assassin Kirill (Karl Urban) turns up in the small village. Bourne and Marie try to get away. But a shot aimed at Bourne hits Marie. She winds up dead in a river.Bourne survives but burns with pain.
While Bourne is being targeted, another crime is taking place in Berlin.CIAagents are about to buy information from a Russian informant that could lead to a massive scandal in the agency and in Russia. Both the buyer and the seller are killed in a smoothly operated hit that leaves evidence pointing to, you got it, Bourne.
CIA Agent Pamela Lundy (the always great Joan Allen) is out to get Bourne, whom she sees as a rogue agent who has gone very, very bad. She's forced to work with Ward Abbott (Brian Cox), the spymaster who was in charge of the Treadstone project - the assassin team that turned Bourne into a brilliant killer.
That's the setup for a thriller that goes from India to Italy to Berlin to Moscow, that moves back in time to flesh out the story and Bourne's memory and has emotional resonance to go with its heart-pounding action.
"The Bourne Supremacy" is directed by England's PaulGreengrass, who previously did the superb 2002 picture "Bloody Sunday." Greengrass keeps the film taut and lets the action and plot work off each other with great effectiveness. He doesn't have all the style that Doug Limon brought to the original,but Greengrass and his crew get close enough to the original for "The Bourne Supremacy" to be satisfying.
The chase scenes - in cars, on foot, on trains - are particularly well done, with quick cutting that both disorients and grips.
As is the case with all such films, all the action would be for naught without a good story, strong acting and believable characters.
Tony Gilroy has again done an excellent job in adapting the late Robert Ludlum's book for the screen, and the cast is universally strong.
Cox is a screen constant - he appeared in seven films in 2002 alone.But he's one of those actors whose name is a mark of quality for any picture. The mark of his work here is that Abbott's actions all fit perfectly together once his motivation is revealed.
Similarly, Allen is never less than superb, and here she handles a take-charge role with aplomb, making Landy simultaneously admirable and antagonistic. Also returning for a small part is Julia Stiles, whose analyst Nicky helps clue Bourne into what is going on.
But the picture belongs to Damon. Playing against his youthful look and natural affability, he's become Bourne, a stone-cold assassin with great survival instincts and a true heart.That makes him a near-perfect spy/action hero.
The skeptical/cynical take on the spy world in both the Bourne pictures also makes them resonate with contemporary events much more than the old Cold War-based tales. The spies here are far from faultless, just like those in real life.
As "TheBourne Supremacy" credits ran, I was ready to see the words at the end "Jason Bourne will return in -" Just like that other spy movie franchise.
Bond, James Bond,you've now got a serious big-screen competitor.
Reach L.Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or kwolgamott@;journalstar.com.
HHH½
Director: Paul Greengrass Paul Greengrass
Stars: Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Brian Cox, Karl Urban, Julia Stiles
Rated: PG-13 (for violence and intense action and some brief language)
Now Showing: East Park, Plaza, SouthPointe
The Reel Story: Damon returns as amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne who is pursued by the CIA and Russian assassins in this effective globe-trotting thriller.
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