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The Bourne Supremacy
Metascore
73 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 39 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 39
  3. Negative: 0 out of 39
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    100
    A conventionally heightened series of escapes and clashes and hide-and-seek gambits, yet the way the film has been made, nothing that happens seems inevitable -- which is to say, anything seems possible. There's a word for that sensation. It's called excitement.
  2. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Charles Taylor
    90
    As a piece of craft, and with the exception of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," it's miles beyond any studio film this summer.
  3. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Manohla Dargis
    90
    Rarely does pop come with such sizzle.
  4. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    90
    This is high-speed action realism carried off with the dexterity of a magician pulling a hundred rabbits out of a hat in one graceful gesture. The crowning flourish is an extended car chase through the streets and tunnels of Moscow that ranks as one of the three or four most exciting demolition derbies ever filmed.
  5. Slate
    Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    90
    The sequel is simply a tour-de-force of thriller filmmaking.
  6. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    90
    Spy movies just got thrilling again.
  7. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    88
    If you've forgotten the kick you get from watching a globe-trotting, butt-kicking, whiplash-paced action movie done with humor, style and smarts, take a ride with The Bourne Supremacy.
  8. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    88
    Close to perfect example of an expertly designed and executed thriller.
  9. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    88
    Taut, tightly paced and thrilling, with some of the best chase sequences -- whether by foot, taxi or Jeep -- in recent memory.
  10. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Chris Kaltenbach
    88
    Greengrass has a fine sense of pacing, keeping events moving. It's rarely hard to guess what's going to happen next, but events unfold with such gusto that there's barely time to notice that.
  11. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    88
    Trumping its predecessor with a tauter plot, a lower body count and just as many edge-of-the-seat jolts.
  12. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Sean Axmaker
    83
    Delivers the expected adrenaline-driven thrills with a fresh eye and a refreshing attitude.
  13. Empire
    Reviewed by: Chris Hewitt
    80
    The Bourne Supremacy builds on and exceeds the original, delivering, quite simply, one of the finest big-budget thrillers in years.
  14. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    80
    Goes through its airport-thriller paces with dazzling kinetics and style.
  15. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Luke Y. Thompson
    80
    Plot matters more here than spectacle; the film's real climax involves no demolition, but rather two characters in a room quietly discussing devastating events in their past.
  16. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    80
    The action sequences are expert studies in controlled chaos.
  17. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    That the director, Paul Greengrass, treats the material with gravity and uses good actors in well-written supporting roles elevates the movie above its genre, but not quite out of it.
  18. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    75
    Achieves an assaultive intensity that adds a level of visceral excitement to car chases, mano-a-mano showdowns -- even simple conversations. It's a style that takes some getting used to -- the images flit by at near-subliminal speeds -- but proves tremendously effective.
  19. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Megan Lehmann
    75
    The strapping Damon's lived-in performance makes us happy to follow Bourne wherever he may go.
  20. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    75
    The way Greengrass lets you feel the violence is impressive. Most movie heroes punch through armies without scraping their knuckles, but Bourne's a believable wreck by midpoint.
  21. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Leah McLaren
    75
    Directed by Paul Greengrass, the unflinching eye behind "Bloody Sunday," The Bourne Supremacy not only lives up to the promises of the novel by Robert Ludlum, but in many ways manages to improve on the first film.
  22. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Marc Mohan
    75
    Solid summer entertainment set in a recognizably real world.
  23. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Pete Vonder Haar
    70
    Supremacy is, minor quibbles aside, a worthy successor to “The Bourne Identity.”
  24. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Rick Kisonak
    70
    Over all, though, the picture fires on all pistons. The globetrotting's a good time-I can't think of another spy film that's featured as delightful an assortment of seamy international undersides.
  25. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    70
    The action is confusing at first and the hyperventilated editing style at times goes beyond the pale, so pic ultimately emerges as an erratic but not unworthy sequel to its gritty, genre-invigorating predecessor.
  26. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    70
    Supremacy certainly works on its own terms, but those terms are limiting. It's an entertainment machine about a killing machine.
    All this critic's reviews
  27. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: David Denby
    70
    Putting it mildly, this style of shallow, panting composition isn't the way I’d like movies to go, but, of its kind, The Bourne Supremacy is incredibly skilled--much more exciting than its predecessor.
  28. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Kimberley Jones
    67
    All herky-jerky camera movements and no pussyfooting around with the interior lives of these characters.
  29. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Carrie Rickey
    63
    Supremacy has thrills, but without Potente's presence, it loses its soul.
  30. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    63
    A serviceable thriller - no more, no less.
  31. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Michael Rechtshaffen
    60
    Like its various post-Cold War European locations, the film remains chilly and distant. Every time you feel like you're finally grabbing hold of something involving, the picture once again spins frustratingly out of reach.
  32. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    60
    A refreshing alternative to the hypertrophied spy thrillers in which exaggerated action sequences, over-the-top super-villainy and high-tech gadgetry trump character and plot.
  33. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Joe Donnelly
    60
    In Supremacy, Damon is left to play basically one droning, humorless note, which, unfortunately, he does with his eyes closed.
  34. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Michael Atkinson
    60
    The loss of the first film's hurtling who-am-I? story engine is keenly felt, and too much time is spent observing the characters get on and off planes, trains, and automobiles.
  35. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    50
    This time it's just chasing, fistfighting, and shooting. A disappointment from the director of "Bloody Sunday."
  36. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jami Bernard
    50
    The movie is mostly a series of frenetic clashes, dubious near misses and car chases. It lacks the human interest and snowy splendor of the first movie, directed by Doug Liman.
  37. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    50
    Almost everything that made "The Bourne Identity" refreshing -- the wit, the irony, the suspense, the novelty of its premise -- is gone in The Bourne Supremacy, and what's left is the spectacle of Matt Damon, with perfect posture and senses primed like a cat, making his way through a routine action thriller.
  38. Premiere
    Reviewed by: Aaron Hillis
    50
    What’s missing here is the amnesiac hook that made "The Bourne Identity" such a sleeper hit.
  39. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Stephen Hunter
    40
    I had some trouble with the plot, but I'm not the only one -- so did the screenwriter.
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User Reviews

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User Score
7.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 151 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 73 out of 95
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 95
  3. Negative: 14 out of 95
  1. grandpajoe6191
    6
    Man, the movie's still has the same intensity, same action sequences, same stupidity, and the same plot. I wonder if the movie might become something like the James Bond Franchise...… Full Review »
  2. LandF
    7
    There is one thing I appreciate about The Bourne movies more then anything else about them. And that is that they exist not only to make money, but to be a good movie. There are a lot of action franchises, such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Sherlock Holmes, that only exist to make money. They can be entertaining, but there's not a lot of thought put into them. The Bourne series tries to be a good movie, and they, for the most part, succeed. Of course, the two films I've seen thus far in the trilogy have not been without flaws. Far from it really. But they are entertaining, at the bare minimum, they have a plot, and well-defined characters. The Bourne Supermacy, like it's predecessor is not perfect, but it's trying. The Bourne Supremacy still contains the key plot elements from the first film: Jason Bourne is trying to learn more about his past, there's a plot to find and kill him, and utter confusion for both parties. The twist is that Bourne is being assumed for a crime he didn't commit (the murder of two agents). Once again, the similarities to the 90's The Fugitive are present, but I've delved into that in my previous review of the first film. In short, The Fugitive does a much better job. The Bourne Supremacy sports believable acting, much like the first. Action movies are famous for laughable dialogue and stiff acting, but The Bourne Supermacy has neither. Matt Damon performs very well for this episode in the Bourne trilogy. The rest of the actors also perform well, but it's pointless to compliment each actor individually. The action is considerably better in this sequel than in the original. Also, there are some very good chase scenes (there were chase scenes in the first, but they were quite dull to be honest), even though some of the automobiles seem a little too indestructible. There's even some well-needed emotion that wasn't present the last time around. The score, however, is less than satisfactory. The percussion is much too loud and overpowering, often annoying. Some of the instrument choices are questionable (including one instrument that we hear twice that resembles the belch of an obese couch potato), and many of the themes feel a little lost. Also, there are some jarring similarities to the superior Pirates of the Caribbean score. Also, the girl we see sleeping with Bourne at the beginning of the film is Marie from the first film. I tell you this, because I would not have recognized her if my companion had not told me so. Her hair is blonde, she looks different (she's wearing more makeup) and she even SOUNDS different. It doesn't make too much of a difference, though, because she dies within twenty minutes of the film's opening. And this brings up a major flaw of this movie: Bourne doesn't have a partner. In one respect, this works better because now Bourne is free to move at his own pace. However, this gives Bourne a little less personality, and it makes certain parts of the film feel a little empty. One scene at the beginning is near a stand with tons and tons of Lays brand potato chips, all the labels facing the screen. It would be hard to believe that there wasn't some sort of pay-off here. Also, there's a completely unnecessary scene that occurs in a club. There are some skimpily dressed women and it just feels so thrown in. This scene was literally added just for male appeal, and it disgusts me that this was thrown in just because guys like to see half-naked women. Really? It's unnecessary and tasteless. I digress. Lastly, The Bourne Supremacy doesn't feel completely connected to the first film. That's not to say it contradicts the first, but I feel confident that someone could watch The Bourne Supermacy with no knowledge of the first film and completely understand what was going on. The Bourne Supremacy is just as good as the original, and maybe just a bit better. There's problems to be sure; irritating score, unnecessary club scene, and the fact that the seeing the first film isn't even necessary for viewing this sequel. But the fantastic cast, great action and chase scenes, and some actual emotion more than make up for it's shortcomings.… Full Review »
  3. Juanolo
    9
    First off, I would give this a 9.25 out of 10. Action sequence are even better. It's just awesome. Acting is good. Damon delivers again. Story continues, and it's still good. Score is still good. Overall, this is great sequel following the first one that's better in every way.… Full Review »
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