The Bourne Supremacy

Paul Greengrass

BY Cam LindsayPublished Dec 1, 2004

Though he isn't known as a panache actor, it's arguable that the marionette portraying Matt Damon in Team America: World Police didn't faithfully capture his true personality. Always hiding something in his characters, Damon covers up best as Jason Bourne, the troubled amnesiac who just can't get a little privacy in his life. The Bourne Supremacy managed to outweigh its predecessor (The Bourne Identity) in box office receipts and it's no surprise why. Reusing the solid, dependably familiar cast from the original for the most part, while adding even more big-gunned stunts and break-neck camera speeds, Supremacy is a smart, exhilarating ride through Bourne's turbulent life of espionage. As he's framed for a murder/robbery he didn't commit, Bourne is forced to not only clear his name but also seek revenge on the baddies who killed his girlfriend (Franke Potente) to boot. In the midst of all of the car chases (including one of the finest ever shot), rifle scope close-ups and CIA conspiracies, Greengrass has broadened his filmmaking horizons by delivering his first major motion picture — a clever, whiplash-inducing thrill ride that trades in the usual spy slickness for something grittier than the typical 007 affair. The DVD doesn't hold back either, offering the viewer the complete visceral Bourne experience. The deleted scenes are relevant additions to the film that offer some insight, as well as other options as to how the story goes down. "Matching Identities" is a typical explanation of how the cast was chosen, while "Keeping It Real" looks at just how Greengrass and crew accomplished the realistic docu-style feeling. Most interesting of all is "On the Move with Jason Bourne" and "Crash Cam." The former explores and explains the many different, exotic locations used, such as Berlin's space and loneliness, Moscow's cold unusuality and dangerous underworld and Goa's paradisiac energy and restlessness. The latter gives a nice, up close peek at the work behind arranging and filming the elating car chase through the city of Moscow. Plus: featurettes. (Universal)

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