They should have left him alone.
As the title may suggest, this is the sequel to the Bourne Identity (2002). A lot of people are calling the Bourne series
the new James Bond, but does it really deserve that?
Plot
We get back to Jason Bourne and his girlfriend Marie two years after where the last film ended. They are happily living
somewhere in Asia, but are always careful with what they do in case someone is still after Jason. When Jason is walking through the
town he sees a guy wearing a suit and his gut instincts are telling him this means trouble. He takes off with Marie in their car,
but are followed by the suspicious man. They try to get rid of him, but he has a very nifty long range gun and shoots Marie, causing
the car to drive off a bridge. He thinks he's killed Bourne as well and goes back home to tell his boss. Jason survives of course, and
goes back to Europe to seek revenge.
Meanwhile, we see a group of people setting up a robbery. This is where it gets confusing. They use a fingerprint of Bourne to try to frame him for the double murder. Icequeen Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) re-opens the Treadstone program and the hunt for Jason Bourne begins again. The Russians find out that Bourne wasn't killed in Asia after all and start chasing him as well. He is always one step ahead of everyone though and escapes every time, though it's a close call on several occasions. The persuit takes us from Paris to Germany and Russia. While trying not to get caught, Jason still longs to find the missing pieces in the puzzle that is his past. He remembers killing someone in a hotel in Germany and goes back to it, hoping it triggers some memories. It works, leaving him in total shock: he is a killer. He goes to Russia to locate the daughter of the couple he murdered on his first ever assignment.
Acting
Matt Damon plays Jason Bourne again and does this very convincingly, though the best character in this film has to be Pamela Landy.
She is rock hard, cold blooded and very determined to reach her goals, which makes her a very lethal person. You don't want to mess with
this woman. Trust me! Julia Stiles again has a very small role, but we suspect this might change in the next episode of this series. Yes
people, the open ending ensures us there will be another sequel.
One tip: don't compare this to the book, it will only frustrate you. Forget the book when you watch the film!
Verdict: Some people think this is better than the first film, others think it's not. I think calling this the next
James Bond is a bit much. The acting is ok, so are the action scenes, but it didn't make me sit on the edge of my sofa. Add the
rapid camera work and voila: a 6 out of 10. Go see the dvd if you want a nice night in with your friends.