When a CIA operation to purchase classified Russian documents is blown by a rival agent--who then shows up in the sleepy seaside village where Bourne (Damon)and Marie (Potente) have been living under assumed names--the pair collapse their lives and head out. Bourne, who promised retaliation should anyone from his former life attempt contact, is forced to once again take up his life as a trained assassin to survive. [TRAILER]

STEVEN SNYDER'S REVIEW

There’s something perfect about the formula of the “Bourne” films – something in its mix of mysteries and suspense that allows the series to never grow stale.

Both “The Bourne Identity,” from 2002, and the comparably effective “The Bourne Supremacy” bring together the very best aspects of a traditional thriller and the most engaging parts of identity mysteries, such as “The Fugitive.” And as a whole, they are films that constantly up the ante and build in intensity, moving at 90 mph towards a fixed point in time when both sides of the story will collide and overlap.

The title of “Supremacy” is deceiving, implying that the amnesiac, confused and lost Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) of the first film has pieced together the puzzle surrounding his identity and past. But in reality, he is more clueless than ever, and has set himself a task that is based upon a foundation of lies. Not only is he unsure of who he is lashing out against, but he is doing the lashing for all the wrong reasons.

In the first “Identity,” Bourne was acting out of self-preservation. Awaking on a boat with nothing more than a bank account number to work with, Bourne scrambled in a panicked frenzy to figure out who he was, why he was being chased, and defended his life with skills and abilities he didn’t even know he possessed.

Now in “Supremacy,” he has retreated back into hiding, determined to live out the good life with his lover, on the beach, in peace. When his life is shattered and he hits the road for revenge, the formula is adjusted appropriately. He may know his abilities this time around, but he has now morphed from the hunted to the hunter.

That is, until he discovers that the same people who destroyed his solitude have also framed him with the CIA. Much like one of the cars used in the film’s heart-pounding, climactic car chase, “Supremacy’s” story spins on a dime, Bourne is returned to his traditional role, and the story reverts to its familiar one-two punch.

In the vein of a thriller, we watch as Bourne first stalks his prey with sniper rifles, cloned cell phones and dummy passports, and then watch him flee on foot and in speeding cars across such cities as Moscow, Berlin, Naples and even New York City.

Always lurking in the background, however, are the nightmares of an earlier mission in his life that went wrong; memories so strong that they creep into his waking life. Much like “The Fugitive,” while Bourne battles those he has targeted, he also must confront his own sanity and decipher the truth of both himself and those at the other end of his sniper scope.

This formula is so consistent and enjoyable because each moment, whether intense or somber, exists with an added intensity. When in a blinding car chase, there is the added suspense of Bourne slipping into a mental haze, seeing strange visions from his past that threaten to destroy him in the present. And then in subdued settings, such as a conversation between Bourne and another ex-agent, there is the unpredictability of Bourne’s hidden abilities and ruthlessness always lurking beneath the surface.

Freshman director Paul Greengrass plays with this formula extremely well, making Bourne’s drama one of both immediate physical danger and prolonged mental anguish, and the real payoffs are not ones of special effects or cinematic flourishes but of personal accomplishments and pain.

There are two flaws to the film, however. Greengrass’ chaotic editing scheme, which worked much better in “Identity,” as the camera hovered over Bourne’s shoulder, loses its impact with its overuse, and the result is choppy, shaky, wobbly camerawork that occasionally removes the viewer from the spectacle, rather than drawing them into Bourne’s point of view.

And the second is taking the story to too many different places and involving too many different adversaries. This is the story of one, confused, scared, and angry killer, and to fill the story with side conspiracies makes the mystery more arbitrary and random than fluid. To some degree, gaps of logic in Bourne’s brain make sense; gaps of logic in the fabric of the film are just irritating and off-putting.

Still, the film’s goals are in the right place: character development and character growth. This is not an action film that exists in a void, but takes its players from Point A to Point B, and the supremacy that Bourne eventually finds is not one of physical domination but one of, finally, mental catharsis.

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