El mito de Bourne

Menos espectacular superficialmente que El caso Bourne pero, al mismo tiempo, más psicológica y atractiva. El guión se remonta al pasado, descubriendo cosas nuevas de él y profundizando el personaje de Bourne. La acción es probablemente la menor de cualquier thriller de espías de los últimos años, pero la trama, inteligentemente combinada, en la que Bourne va siempre un paso por delante de sus cazadores, no la necesita. Y la única escena de acción, la final, lo compensa todo. La música de John Powell mola y Karl Urban es un malote genial. (06.10.2004)

Paul Greengrass skillfully dismantles the idyllic ending that many criticized in the first installment, and he adds another genre label to the film – a revenge movie, along with its spy thriller elements. One cannot speak of pigeonholing when it comes to the form of this film, as it is a daring experiment in its own right, something that many established directors can only dream of achieving. Greengrass doesn't just use "handheld" cameras in action scenes, but he completely discards the use of a tripod. Thanks to his meticulous editing work, the storytelling takes on a completely different dimension compared to the first film. The gritty look of the entire film perfectly corresponds to the moods of the main protagonist, who fulfills his own tasks without a hint of emotion, tasks that his former employers, now his pursuers, are unable to comprehend. Where else can you see a positive hero beating an "innocent" girl against a wall and demanding a confession from her? Where else can the hero use a magazine to destroy not only the enemy but the entire house? The original filmmaker's experiment, which paid off multiple times for the producers, deserves one thing: To conclude the trilogy in spectacular style. (25.11.2004)

Greengrass understood it better than Liman. The only thing his authentic Bourne loses is the choreography of one brawl, but otherwise, that which in the previous film looked like treading between a dynamic and rough thriller and a clean spy film ala M:I is replaced by Paul's typical elegance and a documentary maelstrom of images. The result is Bourne, who, in addition to his identity, finds above all integrity, the missing charisma appears where Bourne-man and Bourne-soldier become one body and one personality. Damon seems to have fully inhabited the character, meaning that Bourne is a tough guy with human features, without these things contradicting each other. Magnificent car chases, suspense even during peaceful scenes, a much more civil concept and, of course, the 24-carat final Moscow chase. I would only complain about the magnificent gesture of humanity in the finale, which is a bit exaggerated, and sometimes the predictability and the holes in the logic. But otherwise Jason Bourne is starting to win me over. (14.02.2008)

The Bourne Supremacy, the second installment of the series (the third is a given considering the fantastic box office returns in the US, currently over 170 million) is awesome. The action moments such as fights, classic shootouts and car chases (don't worry, there's an absolutely amazing one at the end) are very sparing this time, basically all of them are seen either in full or hinted at in the long trailer, but that doesn't matter at all. It is a great action film in itself, which as a whole could be succinctly summed up in the phrase "Bourne searches and chases agents and agents chase Bourne”. The story picks up a lot of momentum after the opening ten minutes, giving the impression of a speeding machine that doesn't stop for a moment, and this impression is enhanced by a fantastically paced soundtrack that is a great experience to listen to on its own. I believed Matt Damon every second he was on the screen, and Karl Urban was also excellent as the icy calm killer. My only quibble would be the camera, it was a bit too shaky for my taste, but I was able to get used to it. All in all, a flawless film and one of the best of the year... And repeated viewings enhance the experience. (12.09.2004)

Although I found Bloody Sunday absolutely gripping, knowing his style I couldn’t imagine how Greengrass intended to approach this commercial spy thriller. He approached Bourne in his very own way and the result is a realistic glimpse of the tricky life led by a former elite agent. From the first seconds, the pace of this picture is incredible and the way he steady increases the tension is completely exceptional. Add to this the solid plot involving nothing big, “just" a personal vendetta, and in the end the vendetta isn’t really so important. Splendid camerawork and Powell’s soundtrack suck you whole into the story. The acting is splendid too, even from the taciturn Matt Damon. As a whole this is a hugely quality picture, with added flavor in the form of nice little details that you appreciate fully only when watching it again (the poster about the demonstration and subsequent use of this information, the jump that went wrong and the limping and the fact that apart from the flashback and two shots in the tunnel, Jason doesn’t use a gun, and many more). Unforgettable, gripping, and nicely innovative (trans)genre picture. Bourne has set the bar so high for Ethan and Bond that it is almost unbeatable in its genre... ♫ OST score: 5/5 (07.10.2004)