Cast: Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Brian Cox
Director: Paul Greengrass

Bourne To Kill Again

By Mary-Ann Russon • UrbanWire

James Bond. Austin Powers. Agent Cody Banks. Spy Kids.

Nowadays Hollywood makes a lot of spy movies - even for kids. The romantic notion of the "secret agent" has completely infiltrated popular culture today, and everywhere you turn it's a smart figure in a suit holding either a gun, fiddling with a gadget or driving some fancy vehicle.

In 2002 yet another such spy movie was released - The Bourne Identity. However, unlike James Bond etc, The Bourne Identity was not about a suave super-spy who saves the world from grievous harm.

Based on the best-selling series by Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Identity was about a man found floating in the middle of the ocean. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) knows all sorts of things, except who he is. His only clue is a tiny metal laser beam canister holding a German bank account number, implanted in his hip.

Bourne soon discovers that a higher power wants him dead, and that the key to his existence lies in Paris. So, with the help of Marie (Franka Potente), a stranger with a car who's in need of cash, Bourne flees there, escaping police and various assassins on the way, and in the end discovers that he had been part of a covert assassin-training project run by the C.I.A.

In the highly awaited sequel The Bourne Supremacy, Matt Damon returns as Jason Bourne, an ex-assassin desperate to leave his shady past behind, while determined to discover who he was before Project Treadstone.

2 years have passed, and after moving from country to country, Bourne and Marie are now living in Goa, India, in a peaceful little hut by the sea. Everything seems perfect until one day a German assassin named Kirill (Karl Urban) suddenly turns up and tries to kill Bourne. In the speeding car-chase that follows, Bourne's jeep plunges into a deep river. Marie dies, while Bourne manages to escape, heart-broken.

Overcome by grief, Bourne decides to go after the C.I.A., and find out why they are trying to have him killed. His search leads him to discover that he's been framed for killing a C.I.A. agent and screwing up an important undercover operation in Berlin by an unknown 3rd party with an dangerous agenda.

A new C.I.A. team, headed by Agent Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) is tracking him down, bringing in old Treadstone operatives Ward Abbott (Brian Cox) and Nicky (Julia Stiles) in her relentless investigation. A new adventure begins as Bourne strives to prove his innocence while evading both Kirill and the C.I.A.

What makes the whole plot so interesting is the central character Jason Bourne. Matt Damon's (Ocean's Eleven, Good Will Hunting) performance as anti-hero Bourne, a man steeped in blood who wishes to start afresh, but is forced to use the skills he learnt in his former life to escape, is believable, relatable and, ultimately, endearing.

Damon lends a certain delicate, sensitive touch to the role, which if it had been given to the typical sort of action movie hero actor, would have completely changed the tone of the film.

Unlike conventional spy characters, Bourne is a real character with fears, dreams and hopes. He doesn't know who he is but he knows his past is full of horrors and his central struggle is trying to find out how he became the way he is, while endlessly seeking peace and resolution. Intriguingly, the tables are turned - the trained killer is the protagonist, while the C.I.A. are the baddies.

Although The Bourne Identity broke box office records when it opened in 2002, it pales in comparison to The Bourne Supremacy. The former was confusing as there were so many C.I.A. operatives moving in the shadows watching Bourne's progress that it was quite difficult to keep track of who was who. In addition, there seemed to be a never-ending series of new bad guys who kept popping up and killing off existing bad guys, so you were left with a "Who the heck are you, and why did you kill him for?" feeling towards the end of the film.

The Bourne Supremacy has a much simpler plot, with a lot more opportunities for character development. This time round, you actually get to know what the C.I.A. are like, as well as some old characters like Nicky and Ward Abbott, who weren't given enough screen time to really leave an impression in the first film. The bad guys are obvious from the start and maintain their roles. The sequel also helps to clear up some of the questions audiences may have had while watching the first film, so looking back you are able to make more sense of The Bourne Identity too.

Teamed with a riveting soundtrack (Moby's "Extreme Ways" is the perfect theme song), well-choreographed action sequences and diverse characters, The Bourne Supremacy is definitely one of the best action films of this year, especially if you like tales with spies, assassins, shady dealings and covert operations.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars