"Who am I?" Did you ever ask yourself this question? It would be catastrophic to be speechless when it comes to answering this question. What would it be like to chase the truth when you don't even know your identity -- along with the fact that someone wants to kill you.

It all started on a stormy night with a hero whose mind was totally blank. Two years have passed since we last saw Jason Bourne in "Bourne Identity." Now he is back in the sequel film "Bourne Supremacy," in which he is living in an remote part of India with his girlfriend Marie (Franka Potente). Unfortunately, Jason still can't remember his past. He continues to deal with a series of disjointed nightmares that offer vague pieces of a prior life he doesn't remember. He wakes up drenched in sweat and burning with fever.

One morning in the city center Bourne sees a car and looks at the driver, and his instinct tells him that there's something wrong. This is the moment when the movie, with its fast and furious effects, really gets started. Compared to "Bourne Identity," "Bourne Supremacy" has a straight-ahead action mentality. Most of the action is provided via very fast camera movements and shots. The director actually uses a hand-held camera technique so as to create a heightened sense of urgency (like "Bloody Sunday," in which the director also used a hand-held camera). However, trying to catch up with the scenes makes you feel dizzy at certain points. Believe you me, there are some scenes where you won't be able to desist from saying "Damn! What's going on there?" In my view, Doug Liman had brought a new sensibility to “Bourne Identity” by giving an abstruse edge to action scenes. However Paul Greengrass, who directed the sequel, has brought back an old-time sense to his action scenes.

When we consider the acting, there's not too much to say. Matt Damon is successful enough in characterizing Jason Bourne. I think Damon's cool, even cold demeanor reflects the character's psychology well enough as the story progresses. We also have Julia Stiles as Nicky. She appears to have matured from the college girl/spy character of the first movie. In "Bourne Supremacy," Stiles portrays Nicky as stressed and anxious in accordance with the tight situation the character finds herself in. I think that Stiles is the right actress for the role.

I think we all know that the Bourne series is all about old-time spy stories. However, thrilling visual and sound effects, short and clear dialogue in general (although at some points just the opposite) and deft editing are why these movies become hits and bring success to the actors involved as well.

At the end of the second movie, surprisingly, a hint about a third movie is given. I believe in the third movie we'll be able to learn the ultimate truth about Jason Bourne's identity. Meanwhile, I hope you'll enjoy the movie at hand. Don't let one this slip by you. Have fun and stay cool!

Atilla Karakurum (IE/IV)