Hello, all!
I can’t say that I’ve ever read a single book by Robert Ludlum, and when Matt Damon first came along as Jason Bourne in THE BOURNE IDENTITY, I still wasn’t compelled to do so. The flick was really good, and offered a very good alternative to the cartoon Bond that that franchise had become [again] during the Brosnan years and before the Daniel Craig tenure returned the character to a more gritty, real-world motif; however, that’s about the extent of the appeal of the character. Of course, secret agent man [not a reference to the song] with amnesia is a cool conceit, and it was executed well, but I experienced it more as “Oh, this is what James Bond should be” rather than “Oh, this is Jason Freaking Bourne!”
By the time the sequel rolled around, then, the “Who am I?” [the title of a decent Jackie Chan actioner, incidentally] shtick became a little bit more compelling, and the stakes got higher, as they should in a sequel. The old screenwriting advice of “Chase your character up a tree… and then set that tree on fire” was clearly something that the writer of THE BOURNE SUPREMACY took to heart, not only setting the tree Damon’s Bourne character finds himself in on fire, but lighting it directly under his kiester. The plot of the film just feels a little more compelling in this one compared to the original, and while that’s possibly a function of the original having laid the storytelling groundwork, it may also be the product of a more thoroughly fleshed out world in which Jason Bourne can operate. The Treadstone mystery is obviously still at the heart of the series, as is the aforementioned “Who am I?” character arc – I mean, he actually learns his real name in this one, so maybe *this* one should have been called THE BOURNE IDENTITY instead of the first one – but these are just a bit more fully developed and explained in this one.
When thinking of the Bourne films, you’ve got to give them props for having been such a refreshing alternative to the Bond films that had gotten ridiculously bombastic with one absurd action set piece after another. In these films, the action is on a smaller scale but packs a better punch… no pun intended. I mean, using a newspaper as an improvised weapon? I remember a George Carlin joke wherein he said you “could kill someone with the Sunday New York Times… if you cared enough.” Well, Jason Bourne cares.
There’s a lot to say about this film, but the fact is that it took the baton from a very solid first entry in the series and ran with it [not a reference to LOLA RENNT, by the way (Franka Potente is in that one, too)]. From the opening disorienting scene to the sounds of Moby’s “Extreme Ways” leading to the end credits, this is well worth the watch. Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - THE DARK KNIGHT; Day 2 - DESPERADO; Day 3 - THE ROAD WARRIOR; Day 4 - X2: X-MEN UNITED; Day 5 - TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY; Day 6 - DAWN OF THE DEAD; Day 7 - DEADPOOL 2; Day 8 - HOT SHOTS! PART DEUX; Day 9 - STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN; Day 10 - THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS; Day 11 - CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER; Day 12 - ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES; Day 13 - PADDINGTON 2; Day 14 - RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET; Day 15 - LETHAL WEAPON 2; Day 16 - FINAL DESTINATION 2; Day 17 - FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE; Day 18 - NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION; Day 19 - THE RAID 2]
I can’t say that I’ve ever read a single book by Robert Ludlum, and when Matt Damon first came along as Jason Bourne in THE BOURNE IDENTITY, I still wasn’t compelled to do so. The flick was really good, and offered a very good alternative to the cartoon Bond that that franchise had become [again] during the Brosnan years and before the Daniel Craig tenure returned the character to a more gritty, real-world motif; however, that’s about the extent of the appeal of the character. Of course, secret agent man [not a reference to the song] with amnesia is a cool conceit, and it was executed well, but I experienced it more as “Oh, this is what James Bond should be” rather than “Oh, this is Jason Freaking Bourne!”
By the time the sequel rolled around, then, the “Who am I?” [the title of a decent Jackie Chan actioner, incidentally] shtick became a little bit more compelling, and the stakes got higher, as they should in a sequel. The old screenwriting advice of “Chase your character up a tree… and then set that tree on fire” was clearly something that the writer of THE BOURNE SUPREMACY took to heart, not only setting the tree Damon’s Bourne character finds himself in on fire, but lighting it directly under his kiester. The plot of the film just feels a little more compelling in this one compared to the original, and while that’s possibly a function of the original having laid the storytelling groundwork, it may also be the product of a more thoroughly fleshed out world in which Jason Bourne can operate. The Treadstone mystery is obviously still at the heart of the series, as is the aforementioned “Who am I?” character arc – I mean, he actually learns his real name in this one, so maybe *this* one should have been called THE BOURNE IDENTITY instead of the first one – but these are just a bit more fully developed and explained in this one.
When thinking of the Bourne films, you’ve got to give them props for having been such a refreshing alternative to the Bond films that had gotten ridiculously bombastic with one absurd action set piece after another. In these films, the action is on a smaller scale but packs a better punch… no pun intended. I mean, using a newspaper as an improvised weapon? I remember a George Carlin joke wherein he said you “could kill someone with the Sunday New York Times… if you cared enough.” Well, Jason Bourne cares.
There’s a lot to say about this film, but the fact is that it took the baton from a very solid first entry in the series and ran with it [not a reference to LOLA RENNT, by the way (Franka Potente is in that one, too)]. From the opening disorienting scene to the sounds of Moby’s “Extreme Ways” leading to the end credits, this is well worth the watch. Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - THE DARK KNIGHT; Day 2 - DESPERADO; Day 3 - THE ROAD WARRIOR; Day 4 - X2: X-MEN UNITED; Day 5 - TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY; Day 6 - DAWN OF THE DEAD; Day 7 - DEADPOOL 2; Day 8 - HOT SHOTS! PART DEUX; Day 9 - STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN; Day 10 - THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS; Day 11 - CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER; Day 12 - ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES; Day 13 - PADDINGTON 2; Day 14 - RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET; Day 15 - LETHAL WEAPON 2; Day 16 - FINAL DESTINATION 2; Day 17 - FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE; Day 18 - NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION; Day 19 - THE RAID 2]
