Reviewed by Andrew Wooding

The Bourne Supremacy
Director: Paul Greengrass (2004)
Distributor: United International Pictures (UK) Ltd.  Certificate: 12A

This is the sequel to “The Bourne Identity” (2002), which, like “The Bourne Supremacy”, is based on the novel of the same name by Robert Ludlum. It is common knowledge that there is a third Jason Bourne novel by Ludlum, and a fourth just out by Eric Van Lustbader, so I will let you figure out whether Jason Bourne survives at the end of this film!

I haven’t seen the first film, so at times I felt a little bit at a disadvantage. But there is still plenty to enjoy for newcomers to Bourne like me, even though I had to spend much of the film trying to figure out his back-story.

Bourne has to hide from the CIA, but at the same time prove his innocence. He is skilfully played by Matt Damon, who gives a subtle, heroic performance that is not over-the-top. He gives the character great presence – no mean feat, considering that in many of the scenes he is completely on his own. There are hidden depths to his character. Englishman Brian Cox also gives an excellent performance as an edgy CIA boss.

My main criticism is the camerawork. Just about all the shots were filmed with a hand-held camera, and it shows. Deliberately wobbly, shaky camerawork was probably done to give the film a touch of realism. Instead, it just makes those watching it on the big screen – including me – quite queasy and disorientated! I recommend avoiding the front rows, and sitting at the back of the cinema.

Other than that, I would greatly recommend this film as an entertaining, above-average espionage thriller. Just make sure you’ve seen “The Bourne Identity” first!

THROUGH THE LENS OF CHRISTIAN FAITH 

Some key themes: Is anyone purely good or evil, or are people many shades in between?; can violence and killing ever be justified, even if it is to achieve “good” ends?

The huge success of the “Lord of the Rings” movies shows that there is still an appetite for films showing the conflict between good and evil. This is an age-old theme in storytelling, and it obviously still resonates with movie audiences at the beginning of the 21st century.

With “The Bourne Supremacy”, however, we have a central character in Jason Bourne who is not so clear-cut. Yes, he is the hero of the film, but he is also a trained killer. He threatens violence on some of the “good guys” in the film, and in a recurring flashback scene we see him gunning down and killing a young girl’s parents in the course of his job.

To me, this was the strength of the film. I found Bourne an intriguing character, at times an enigma, and I wanted to know more about him. He is not black or white. He has elements of both in him. He loves; he has a strong sense of justice (he certainly wants to clear his name with regards to the killings in Berlin); and he seems to develop a strong respect for Pamela Landy, the agent in charge of hunting him down. Yet at his heart he is a killer, and when the drive for self-preservation kicks in, watch out anyone who gets in his way!

I grew up on a strong diet of superhero comic strips, as well as sixties and seventies science fiction shows – such as Star Trek and Doctor Who – with clearly delineated baddies and goodies. In fact, I still read these types of comics and watch these programmes! What they have done, though, is condition me into often labelling people as either “good” or “bad”. But life’s not like that.

When I read in the papers about a criminal – maybe a murderer – I need to remember that this person may have a wife or husband that they love very much, children they care for, or dozens of other good qualities. Murder is inexcusable, but I cannot entirely paint this person as “murderer” – they may also be a “good father” or “good mother”, a good writer or poet, or someone who is respected for good works in the community.

The Bible paints this view of people throughout its pages: not good or bad, but many different shades, with strengths and weaknesses, and contradictions and blind spots in their lives. Yes, there are stories in the Bible of angels and demons, the fight between good and bad forces in the heavenly realms. But when it comes to people, even the “bad” guys in the Bible are shown to have good qualities, and the “good” guys are often portrayed as riddled with faults.

Look at our famous Bible heroes. Moses – the great leader and spokesperson for God - murdered an Egyptian and buried him in the sand; he also had quite a temper. King David had an adulterous affair, even while he was apparently writing some of the great psalms. Rahab the harlot was listed amongst the heroes of the faith in the book of Hebrews, and yet she was … well … a harlot, or a prostitute. And Paul the Apostle, who before his conversion ordered Christians to be killed by stoning, struggled with a weakness or a hindrance that he only referred to as his “thorn in the flesh” (see 2 Corinthians 12 v 7-10). He also referred to himself as a “wretched man” (see Romans 7 v 19-24).

We would do best to follow the Bible’s example and to see people as fully-rounded, three-dimensional human beings. We should try to see the good in even the “worst” people, and also to do justice to our Christian heroes (maybe your favourite preacher or youth leader) by acknowledging that they are not perfect and may have faults and weaknesses. Just as “The Bourne Supremacy” portrays a hero that is more “real” than the heroes in your normal, run-of-the mill action thrillers, Christians need to “get real” as well!

Have your say on the discussion forum....

· What are some good or bad qualities that you have? I find it very easy to list my bad qualities, but harder to list the good ones. Go on – have a go!

· Do people such as Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden have some good qualities? Can you think of any? Or have these people done so many bad things that they are beyond “goodness”?

· What do you like or dislike about the character of Jason Bourne? Why is he the “hero” of this film?

To discuss this further why not leave a message of the discussion forum.