Short version: I really enjoyed this flick. Check it out.
Slightly longer version: Excellent action flick with some great action sequences, tho’ if you are allergic to hand-held cam you may need to skip the movie entirely, because shaky cam and flash editing is much in evidence here.
Extremely long version: Matt Damon is back as Jason Bourne, the amnesiac rogue CIA agent. He’s off in Goa, India, with his adoring girlfriend Franka Potente, having bad dreams about something he might have done in his previous life and keeping himself in very, very good shape. Then his old life shows up with a vengeance and Bourne has to get back to doing what he does best to find out what’s going on.
Assassination using only a magazine. A foot chase through the U-Bahn. An amazing car chase through Moscow (no damn CGI here).
The best thing, in my view, is that this movie is confident enough in itself to put things in there and let the viewer figure them out. You get flashes of things Bourne sees and unlike most movies, that’s all you’re going to get: either you noticed it and can put it together with later events, or you’re going to wonder what the hell just happened. (My favorite: Bourne checking the U-Bahn schedules. Hint: he’s not simply wondering when the next train is going to arrive.)
And, as Darin pointed out as we left: you definitely get a sense of place in this movie: this movie was filmed on location in India and Berlin and Moscow and you can tell. Prague is not doubling as all European cities here. Matt Damon running at top speed on the beach at Goa: you can feel the humid air.
The shaky cam cinematography did grate on me after while (say, the first five minutes), but it does give an immediacy to the proceedings I’m not sure the usual dolly-tracking system would have given.
Darin and I have been seeing a lot more movies recently, and this is one that I definitely recommend.
The Bourney Supremacy: the review
Matty Damony plays Jasony Bourney, amnesiacy CIAy assassiny.
Overall a good sequel to a great film – the Bourne Identity and looking forward to the 3rd outing of the story.
It was however, completely ruined by the over zealous use of the handy cam which was absolutely unnecessary! The fight and car scenes which I was looking forward to watching were of course destroyed by this awful camera action! I’m sure the majority would agree and what the heck was this all about?!?! Furthermore, I was getting a bloody headache at the end of the movie!
Obviously, it’s too late for this second movie but sorted it out for the next one otherwise get rid of the director and get someone else who knows how to make better use of the camera!