The Bourne Supremacy

Matt Damon Week continues here at Little Round Mirrors with The Bourne Supremacy, the sequel to The Bourne Identity. Like the first film, this one is not perfect, but is still an intelligent action film. Sometimes I just want big, dumb fun, and intelligent, big, dumb fun is even better.

As I re-watch, though, these films seem to be losing steam. Maybe I'm gauging them unfairly, comparing them to other films. Since Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace have rebooted the Bond franchise, the Bourne films just don't seem as exciting or as well done.

They're still well written, solid entertainment, but EON Productions has upped the ante. The Bourne films seem a bit quaint, and I wonder how they will age considering the Bond franchise has entered a new era of kickass.

Bourne seems soft compared to Daniel Craig's Bond. Bourne spares people — even the heavies who chase him across continents sometimes get free passes. Bond really doesn't spare anyone. Cross him and he'll shoot you over and over until you fall dead. Bourne doesn't always do that. Softie.

Like the first film, this one is based on the Ludlum novel by the same name, which I never read because Robert Ludlum (or his editor) uses italics too much, among other quirks. I'm superficial. I have too much time on my hands. I worry about stuff. Then again, you're reading a blog. Shouldn't you be working or watching your kids or something? I bet your house is on fire or your boss is monitoring your computer. Maybe both?

I preach to my students about telling your story visually rather than verbally. Show me don't tell me. Sloppy storytelling bothers me, and for the most part the Bourne films are good in that department, but for my liking, there are still too many shots of loving photos, elegantly doodled journals with phrases like "WHO AM I?" and lists of stuff the audience should remember from the first film.

Hollywood thinks we're stupid. I always resent this kind of stuff. I don't mind doing some work to keep up with the film. Tony Gilroy, the Bourne franchise screenwriter, also wrote Michael Clayton, a film that really seems to trust the viewer. I like when a film doesn't give me every answer and assumes I'll still figure things out and keep up.

Maybe my complaints with this film aren't so much with the film as they are with Hollywood in general. Films out of Hollywood typically don't challenge viewers as much as I think they should, but then again, what do I know?

I forgive much of this because the Bourne films are enjoyable popcorn flicks. Sometimes that's all I want. Sometimes a movie is just a movie. Trouble is, when I want an intelligent action film, I'm liable to reach for the new 007 films instead of the Bourne trilogy. That's a bigger issue than the occasional clunky visual.

My tastes and moods are always changing. Ask me again in five years and I'll probably tell you something totally different.