The Bourne Supremacy

I had no intention of seeing this movie. I saw the trailer and said, 'pass'. It implied the movie was like one of those Arnold movies from the 80's like 'Raw Deal' or 'Commando', except without Arnold. You know, the one man army doing the raging revenge thing (a theme I've had enough of this year). The tagline to the movie didn't dissuade me from this impression: They should have left him alone. Add in a pan from the only review I read (in the Post) and I was pretty sure they wouldn't be getting any of my money.

But my movie buddy wanted to see it and offered me an escape from the house for a few hours, so I found myself watching it anyway. And I'm glad I did, because it's probably the best movie I've seen this year.

It had a great plot (much more than the trailer implied) that was complicated enough to keep you interested but not overwhelming you with details. Three forces, each with their own agendas and own view of what was happening circled each other looking for advantage. It was expertly paced, never boring you too much action or too much plot. It ends with what has to be one of the best car chases in movie history.

What I particularly liked about the movie was how it didn't insult your intelligence and pulled you into the action. The cinematography had a gritty, jerky feel -- that some found annoying -- but I really enjoyed. During the car chase, I was completely on the edge of my seat and I literally fell back after one spectacular and unexpected collision. And the scenes in various cities captured what (I imagine) the cities feel like. The movie conveyed the taste of a place you get when you're wandering the streets on the first days after arriving. I've never been to Berlin but the movie made me feel like I was there.

Anyways -- great movie, I really want to see it again. I can't wait for the third part in the trilogy.

Posted by Bruce Gottfred at July 26, 2004 09:04 PM | TrackBack