"Bourne" Again
 
So, yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing both The Bourne Identity for my first time and then going to see The Bourne Supremacy afterward. Here are my thoughts. . .
 
I had never put off seeing The Bourne Identity. It was always one of those movies that I genuinely wanted to see, but had never gotten around to. So when I saw it on sale at Suncoast with a free ticket to the sequel, I decided it was my chance to pick it up. I'm glad I did. Although not the best espionage thriller ever, it's surely a classic in that genre. I love the mystery surrounding Jason Bourne, the pace is brisk and fun, and the action is always enjoyable.
 
And the sequel? Gladly, The Bourne Supremacy is both more of the same and yet continues to develop Bourne's story. At first, the story is a standard spy thriller, but I loved the way that it developed more information on Bourne's history. I liked the ending and the heartfelt apology he offers (did you really think he was going to die? There's at least one more book in the series!) Although I didn't think the story was as clever or original as the first film, there were defintely improvements made throughout. The cast was just as sharp. Although Chris Cooper's character was killed off at the end of the first installment, I liked that he was still around (albeit in flashbacks) during this film. Joan Allen has always been a favorite actress of mine, so I was glad to see her show up as the CIA officer. And Brian Cox is always a good actor, even if the poor guy looked like he was suffering through a heart attack through both films.
 
These aren't my favorite films ever, but I can see myself watching them over and over. I like the vibe they have to them, kind of a Fugitive-meets-James Bond type energy. The European locations always look nice (although I was partial to Paris in the first film.) The plots are always clever. The action is intense. The first film had a cool car chase and a nice little shootout at the end, culminating in a very cool "ride the body" shot at the end that was very nice. The second film has a very brutal martial arts fight in an apartment and probably THE COOLEST car shase ever filmed through the streets of Moscow.
 
I like Matt Damon as Jason Bourne. He doesn't play him like a superhero. He's not joking and flippant like James Bond. He's not flashy and indignant like Ben Affleck's Jack Ryan. Damon plays him as a likable guy, but a tortured soul. But my favorite thing about his portrayal of the character is that he supplies him with a believable intelligence. You can almost see the gears working as he plots his escapes. He's always two steps ahead of everyone else and it's nice to have a smart character instead of some bulky, one-liner spouting superhero.
 
So, if you haven't see the first film, go rent it. If you have, go see the second. Both are fun action films that actually have some brains behind them.
 
Last night Erin gave me a very nice watch for my birthday :) It's been years since I've had a nice watch, so that was really cool. Tonight a bunch of my friends are taking me to Pizza Papalis in Greektown for my birthday dinner :) Should be a lot of fun!
 
C-Dubbs