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Axel Foley -> RE: The Bourne Supremacy (6/8/2006 8:19:06 PM)
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This is something I wrote at the time that I thought I might as well re-post.
To call The Bourne Supremacy a "summer flick" does it a
great disservice. The plot is complex, probably to the
point most will struggle to follow (myself included, at least till I
get to see it again which I'm certainly going to be doing), but it
doesn't really matter, because Bourne is a strong enough character to drive the movie forward. This is Bourne's story, his personal tragedy is presented to us in all its gritty glory. The plot is just a device to allow for his character arc, and as such it does a good job, throwing him into all manner of chaos with one hair raising situation survived after another.
Amidst it all Damon is coolness personified, as he emerges from bouts of fisticuffs, falls from bridges and car chases, bruised and limping, but intact and with a sense of calm.My favourite bits are where he has to resort to his wits and resourcefulness to escape the multitude of pursuers thrown his way. Anything from a magazine to a mouthful of vodka comes in hand, before the punches come flying.
The the confusion that he provides to his pursuers during the chase from the hotel to the bridge and across the railway tracks is very well portrayed, with the cinematography perfectly capturing his movements, as he double backs on his tracks. One almost feels out there in the thick of the action, panting for breath.
In fact the cinematography and direction is class throughout. It captures each movement, each chase in such a way as to plant oneself right into the fray. I could feel the blows in the fight between Bourne and his remaining fellow assassin, every bone crunching one. And it perfectly helps to illustrate Bourne's tactics, the way he
tracks down Pam Landy, and uses all manner of devices to follow her from her hotel room to the operations centre. It sucks you into
Bourne's world, making the scene to come all the sweeter with him on the phone to Landy. I couldn't help but smile, and give a knowing chuckle as Bourne the proceeds to outwit her, before delivering the coolest of kiss offs.
Ok most of the rest of the cast are merely functional, but they do what they have to to progress the story and the action when it comes delivers on every level. As said by others the car chase is one of the best ever to be put on celluloid and it follows smoothly from a chase on foot. Each tyre screeching turn and metal crunching crash rams home the realism of the situation, yet it still retains and adrenaline pumping cinematic feel.
The emotional final scenes make for some strong cinema, as Bourne confronts demons from his past, that his amnesia has protected him
from. I was genuinely close to tears as he explains to the Neski
girl that he had in fact killed her parents. This is a broken man,
but a man with principles, who knows he has to do this. It also
shows how his relationship with Marie has shaped him, and how he has dealt with his loss. Damon conveys this with dignity, using subltle gestures to depict his solemnity. All the while you can sense the pain within.
I actually think this has been a very good summer of movies, but
this is the best film I've seen this year period. Nine out of Ten.
Danke Jason .
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