The Bourne Identity & The Bourne Supremacy (2002 & 2004): A

“The Bourne Identity”- A
Originally Written: June 2002

See this movie. I don’t care where you have to drive, whether you have to wait for video or not, but sooner or later (preferably sooner, in a terrific theater, with great sound and a large audience), check this flick out. It’s based on an 1980 best seller by Robert Ludlum (listed as an executive producer on this movie) about a CIA-employed assassin named Jason Bourne (brought to complex, paranoid life by Matt Damon) who can’t remember a thing up until a couple of weeks ago, but is clearly a human weapon to be reckoned with. The problem is, he failed in his last mission, the CIA’s after him, and he’s dragged a fellow American (played by the surprising Franka Potente) into the mix. It’s “Memento” meets James Bond, and the stakes are high. The plot is a better-than-usual spy yarn that sizzles with action, thrills, and smarts courtesy of director Doug Liman, a fresh talent better known for small, hipster comedies like “Go!” and “Swingers.” The tricky plot is reasonably easy to follow, as are action sequences like the obligatory car chase through the Paris streets (which rocks), and a final shootout in a hotel where Bourne makes creative use of one of his victims (which rules). Great supporting cast (including Chris Cooper (from “The Patriot”), Brian Cox (from “Braveheart”), Julia Stiles (from “Save the Last Dance”), and Clive Owen (from “Croupier”)), and gripping music by John Powell- eschewing typical spy score cliches nicely- makes “The Bourne Identity” intriguing and not-to-be-missed.

“The Bourne Supremacy”- A
Originally Written: July 2004

There’s so much of this movie that lives up to the high standards set by its’ 2002 predecessor, “The Bourne Identity” (A) which was not only a long-term hit in theatres and on video, but was also one of the best and smartest thrillers in recent years. This movie has so many of that one’s great qualities. A story- based on Robert Ludlum’s novel- that’s smartly distilled by screenwriter Tony Gilroy (who co-wrote the original), and is more compelling globe-trotting espionage than either of Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible” movies or the recent Bond films. A cast- headed by an excellent Matt Damon (growing more and more satisfying an actor than his buddy Ben Affleck with each project) as Jason Bourne- that’s loaded with solid pros over pretty faces, including returning talents Franka Potente, Brian Cox, and Julia Stiles while adding Joan Allen to the mix as a top-level CIA agent. A score by John Powell (who continues to get better and more mature with scores for as varied projects as “Shrek,” “Chicken Run,” “Face/Off,” “Paycheck,” and “The Italian Job”) that isn’t simply culled from great cues from his “Identity” score, but reworks the best material from the earlier score and enhances it to create something every bit as exciting as Powell’s “Bourne Identity” was. And then there’s the action, which flows as naturally out of the story as it did in “Identity,” and is even more impressively-staged (especially the car chase in the streets of Moscow).

So what’s wrong with “The Bourne Supremacy” that it doesn’t make the grade? One thing, and it’d be a deal killer if any of the above elements didn’t work as well as they do. It’s the style of the cinematography chosen by ace lenser Oliver Wood (who also worked on “Identity”) and director Paul Greengrass (whose acclaimed “Bloody Sunday” was unseen by me), who replaces “Identity’s” Doug Liman at the helm. Shaky camerawork has been in for action directors the past few years (see “The Rock,” “Die Hard With a Vengeance,” and others). The implication is that it brings grit and realism that cleaner camerawork wouldn’t. This can be true (see “Saving Private Ryan”), and at times, it is here as well. But that great car chase in Moscow? If you can point to a single frame of that sequence where the picture is crystal-clear, let me know, ‘cause I had a hard time enjoying the sequence because Greengrass and Wood tried too hard for that down and dirty look. Ditto the foot chase in Berlin, which is developed with imagination in the way it plays out, but is hard to appreciate because you’re just trying to follow the camera. The editing- courtesy Richard Pearson and Christopher Rouse- doesn’t help matters. Credit them and Greengrass from cutting the fat of the story and keeping it moving (“Supremacy’s” a briskly-paced 110 minutes), but there’s no visual logic when it comes to the action, which is so frantically cut it’s hard to keep track of what’s going on. That’s a killer combination in an action picture, and not in a good way. I’m just glad “The Bourne Supremacy” has so much going for it that seems in short supply this year- brains, brawn, and inventiveness. I just wish it coulda been more of a contender for being one of this summer’s best.

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