spitting in the faces of numerous putrescent sequels, prequels, retellings and remakes comes the second installment of Ludlum's Bourne trilogy. it seems filmmakers are finally getting the idea that it is actually okay for a subsequent film to better the original. while we all ponder the intricacies of such a fact and how it has remained so obscure, i'll try to provide a worthy review of this weekend's box-office thrashing "the bourne supremacy."
i first of all have to get this off my chest. i read a review of this movie in which the writer claimed, while touting damon's inability to act, that his only good movies were "saving private ryan" and "ocean's eleven." um, did you see "school ties"? too preppy? try "courage under fire." too violent? how about "good will hunting"? too sappy? check out the twistedly intriguing "the talented mr. ripley." if none of these appeals to you: "dogma," "rounders" or even "the rainmaker," which provided a much more moving performance than all 20 seconds of his appearance in "saving private ryan." yikes, i'll admit that i hated "the legend of bagger vance," where damon was attempting a role written for robert redford ... but who wouldn't bomb in such an endeavor? okay, enough of that. even if you hated all the aforementioned movies, you can't cay the guy can't act. how could you be more freaked out by his performance in "The Mysterious Yearning Secretive Sad Lonely Troubled Confused Loving Musical Gifted Intelligent Beautiful Tender Sensitive Haunted Passionate Talented Mr. Ripley"???
on we go ...
just a warning: i will attempt objectivity and vagueness as i presume (and hope) many of you will be seeing this movie soon.
i was ecstatic to find out jen had already penciled me in to see this movie with her before we'd even talked about it. i had done the same with her, knowing she'd be in town when it opened. we hooked up with a couple of friends and made it just in time to find acceptable seating on opening night. the filming of this movie was probably the biggest thing that set it apart from the original for me. let me just say that if you're going to see it, don't sit anywhere in the front half of the theater. the action doesn't just occur on camera, it's by the camera. often shots were fractions of seconds and random, jerky movement abounded. it all created the effect of chaos that surrounds jason bourne and anyone who comes across his path.
so the layout is that jason finds himself being pursued again for reasons unbeknownst to him. the movie revolves around him trying to figure out who and why, which is conveniently connected to a memory that's been coming out in bits and pieces of flashback. the notable (for favorable or not so much performances) members of the supporting cast are: julia stiles, the incomparable franka potente, scary lazy-eyed hitman from "the bodyguard" Tomas Arana, Joan Allen (two oscars?!?), Brian Cox, Gabriel Mann and Karl Urban (Eomir, yum).
i'm assuming the director felt he had NO CHOICE in resurrecting stiles' character. the only reason anyone should have is to bring to light the leading and supporting characters' brilliance ... or, for that matter, the brilliance of the cab driver or the dog walker or any number of virtually unnoticed extras. this girl has no conviction!!! (though she was notably better this time around, probably due to excessive pleas from directors and producers of "please don't make my movie suck.") i have to say that franka completely won my respect, and intrigue, with run lola run, and it continued on a different level with the subsequent "princess and the warrior." not nearly enough of her in either of the "bourne" movies IMHO. joan allen did very little, on the other hand, to impress me. she was simply unconvincing as the domineering leader she tried to be. i understand that this may be the part that was written for her to play, but it still just didn't work for me. there were moments, but not an award-winning role. karl urban i think had a fairly convincing russian accent throughout, for as we all should know, he's a new zealander.
this story was all about jason bourne and was chock-full of fight/chase/elusion scenes that were *gasp* actually interesting. his weapon of choice in one such scene is a rolled-up magazine. he still has compassion, along with a conscience. there is a difference. he's faithful and extremely devoted. he's also still as much a killing machine as ever, which makes for just a really great story. i think this was a pretty lengthy movie, but it never felt long. always gotta leave 'em wanting more. i can't say much else without completely spoiling it for you all, so i'll stop. GO SEE IT FOR YOURSELF!!!
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