The Bourne Supremacy
January 2005 Reviewed by: Roger Kanno Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Jason Bourne may not be a household name like James Bond, but Universal’s spy-action movies based on Robert Ludlum’s Bourne novels have been two of the best in recent cinema. The Bourne Supremacy picks up a couple years after The Bourne Identity left off, with Jason Bourne still suffering from amnesia, trying to uncover his past, and running from those who would kill him for the secrets locked away in his clouded memory.

What makes The Bourne Supremacy so entertaining is its incredibly fast pace. It does not always explain all its plot elements, but neither does it get bogged down with unnecessary details. What we do know is that Bourne was a trained killer for the CIA. Even though he has little memory of his covert activities, his very existence threatens many, including some of his superiors in the agency. Bourne is a cold-blooded killer, yet we empathize with him as he tries to discover his identity, flee his pursuers, and fight for his life. Matt Damon is totally believable as the stoic Bourne. He injects just enough feeling into his character to make us believe that his killer instinct is a result more of training than of his nature. Also delivering a standout performance is the critically acclaimed Joan Allen, who plays the hard-nosed, yet principled agent Pamela Landy. She brings immediate integrity to her character, as she has done in films as diverse as The Contender, Pleasantville, and The Ice Storm. In the supporting cast, Brian Cox and Karl Urban are especially good.

The direction of indie filmmaker Paul Greengrass is not complex, but incisive. It keeps the film moving at an often frantic pace, for example, in an amazing car chase that should satisfy the most hardcore action fan. Hand-held cameras and quick close-ups during the action scenes give the film a raw energy. Even though we don’t see all of the action clearly, we get a real sense of its speed and ferocity.

Music is well recorded and effectively used. The sound design really comes together during the first scene in Berlin. First, in a busy operations room, we hear voices over radio and telephone, then the sounds of an atmospheric street scene, then the inside of an office building. The accompanying music, dominated by percussion and drums, builds tension while dialogue and Foley effects are clearly reproduced in a fully enveloping sound field. Whether it is the electrifying sounds of the car chase or the subtle directional cues during an underwater scene, The Bourne Supremacy always delivers an exceptional auditory experience.

Not up to the same standard as the audio, the video has a somewhat soft look overall. Night scenes, which predominate at the beginning of the film, have deep blacks and good gradation of shadows. However, the outdoor shots, filmed in India in bright sunlight, lack detail although they exhibit bright and accurate colors. Later when the location shifts to Europe and Russia, the dull lighting caused by dreary weather looks remarkably natural and makes the lack of detail less noticeable, but its absence is still mildly distracting.

The extras consist of nine featurettes that include technical aspects of the production, interviews with the principal filmmakers and actors, deleted scenes, cast and crew biographies, and an audio commentary track by the director. Although the bonus materials are not groundbreaking, they are interesting and informative.

The Bourne Supremacy is an intelligent, fast-paced thriller with fresh energetic direction and great performances from a talented cast. An involving soundtrack combines with many thrilling action sequences. This DVD is highly recommended.

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