Reviewed by Peter Veugelaers © 2004
- Who said they don't make 'em like they used to?

 The second of the Bourne franchise based on the Robert Ludlam spy novels is like the first, The Bourne Identity, in aesthetic look and that Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is chased down by seeming friends and apparent enemies the paranoia that arises in Bourne keeps him from dying as he avoids and escapes from entanglements that might prove costly to his life.

 Both Identity and Supremacy intersect thematically on this where self preservation is the central motive in an amoral world of corrupt CIA officials and foreign spies. Bourne – a trained assassin – murders those who may prove obstacles to his mission and that is simple as staying alive.

 The intersection between being acquitted because Bourne and other characters have been victims of their circumstances and environment and of taking responsibility for your actions in this blurred blending of morality is intriguing from a character’s point of view. In spite of being characters we don’t relate to normally, as the audience we can empathise with their basic dilemmas and decision making, the universe that Bourne lives in makes life more interesting and adventurous.

 This is the film’s depth, but it is only minimal. As a stylish slick frenetically paced thriller in the grand Hollywood vein of narrative extremities the result is mainly entertainment and ultimately shallow.

 However, the production quality is good excitingly climaxing with the movie’s best (and overdone) car chase scene and it keeps consistent in tone. Matt Damon is a natural presence in the lead role seamlessly carrying over his accomplished performance in the first. There is less martial arts skill from him in this outing and more brute physical (and violent) brawn. He is ably supported by Joan Allen, Brian Cox, and New Zealand-born Karl Urban (The Lord of the Rings).