Bourne Supremacy

Fans of "The Bourne Identity" breathe easy. The sequel, "The Bourne Supremacy", starring Matt Damon as the former assassin with no clue to his past, is a great follow-up to the first exciting film. Once again, Jason Bourne is being hunted, but this time he's not only looking for clues to his past, but also trying to figure out who is framing him for murder. In the end, everything comes full circle, but getting there takes us everywhere from India to Moscow to Germany. This is the smartest action-thriller of the summer.

Is "Supremacy" as good as "Identity"? Not quite. With less action and a lot of erratic camerawork, "Supremacy" relies more on its intricate plot line supported by great performances than it does on explosions and fights. Don't get me wrong. When the action happens, it happens fast and furious. That's also where the camera shots come in. At times it seems that the cameraman is simply spinning around or shaking the camera to give the appearance of action. The climactic chase scene becomes stomach-turning, not because of anything gruesome but, rather, from the constant spinning and movement on screen.

Damon has found his calling as Bourne, seamlessly going from a man longing to understand his past to trained killer. Most of the main actors are back as well, with Julia Stiles actually having a real part this time and Joan Allen taking full command as the agent trying to track down Bourne. Know too, this is definitely a sequel where you really need to have seen the first to understand the second. I give it a B+.

"The Bourne Supremacy" is rated PG-13 with a running time of 2 hours.