Matt Damon’s understated style makes his character believable.

Punch is not perfect, first is still supreme

The Bourne Supremacy

Stars Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Brian Cox. Rated M

Reviewer: PTE John Wellfare

Rating:

I WAS a little concerned when I heard that the sequel to Doug Liman’s 2002 action fl ick The Bourne Identity was under a different director, but Paul Greengrass has brought the same intensity he put into Bloody Sunday.

It’s a thoroughly entertaining ride. Once again, Matt Damon brilliantly portrays Jason Bourne, the uncompromising assassin who sees all the angles.

He’s been framed for the murder of two CIA agents and is out to set the record straight and unravel more of his past. Damon’s understated style makes the quiet, calculating Bourne utterly believable. Greengrass has upped the level of action from the original, but not to the point that it looks like a Matrix sequel.

His erratic camerawork, which brought so much intensity to Bloody Sunday, gives The Bourne Supremacy some extra punch, making the fi lm’s major car chase so real it’s frightening.

But it was a bit overdone and sometimes the whole movie gets a bit confusing because of the shaky camera. It’s not perfect.

Franka Portente, who brought so much life to the original and made it more than just an action movie, only has a few scenes in The Bourne Supremacy.

The story isn’t so clear cut this time, which adds excitement and frustration, but could cost you another $13 to go back for a second look.

The Bourne Supremacy is entertaining in a way that other recent offerings in the genre haven’t been able to match. Not since the original has an action movie been so intense.

Bryce Dallas Howard in The Village.

Frighteningly good drama

The Village

Stars Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver. Rated M

Reviewer: PTE John Wellfare

Rating:

IT’S hard to explain the storyline of an M. Night Shyamalan movie without giving too much away or making it sound utterly ridiculous.

The setting – a 19th century village near a forest in which mythical creatures dwell – would guarantee B-grade rubbish from anyone else.

Shyamalan approaches this fi lm, like his other blockbusters, as a drama set in an unusual and frightening place. The love story between Lucius Hunt (Phoenix) and Ivy Walker (Howard) will have viewers desperate to see the two make it in the end.

Shyamalan milks the suspense and fear for all it’s worth. But he’s not just scaring you for the sake of it; he’s asking you why you’re scared, and you’ll ask yourself the same.

Definitely the best fi lm I’ve seen all year but try for a daytime session – you don’t want to walk to your car in the dark after a movie like this.