| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that this movie has intense and graphic violence, including bloody injuries. Characters are killed and one commits suicide. Characters drink and a character gets drunk in response to stress. There is some strong language and some intrusive product placement.
In the first Bourne film, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) was rescued from the ocean, suffering from a gunshot wound and amnesia. He eventually learned that he's a spy, but he couldn't remember who was after him. Or why. He ended up with a girl he loved and the guarantee of being left alone to try to recover the rest of his lost memories and make some new and better ones.But in this sequel, someone's after him again. The CIA believes he was behind a recent assassination of two agents. CIA big shots Pamela Landry (Joan Allen) and Ward Abbott (Brian Cox), who knows more than he wants to tell, both try to track him down, though perhaps they have different purposes and goals. Bourne still remembers very little of what went on before he was fished out of the water. But now finding out is a matter of life or death.
This is a smooth thriller for grown-ups. That means it has lots of chase scenes and action scenes but the mood is dark, even grim. The dialogue is smart but not smart-alecky. Instead of flashy fights where one dazzling kick to the throat knocks the bad guy out, the battles are messy and breathless and brutal. The chase scenes are like extreme bumper cars. And the primary pleasure is not some big triumph, just the fun of seeing smart people outsmarted.
Allen strides around in long, cool, black Matrix-style coats and Damon is nicely inexorable and relentless. Julia Stiles adds punch as Bourne's former liaison. She explains how the special operatives worked: "They don't make mistakes. They don't do random." When asked who is assigning Bourne's targets, she says, "Scary version? He is." Damon doesn't get to do much acting but delivers a serviceable performance in what is a serviceable movie. Like its title character, it does the job. And the last exchange of dialogue tops it all off nicely.
Families can talk about why Bourne wanted to see Irena. Abbott says that "Conklin had these guys wound so tight they had to bust." What are the risks of training an operative like Bourne? Of not having one?
| Studio: | Universal Pictures |
| Director: | Paul Greengrass |
| Cast: | Brian Cox, Franka Potente, Matt Damon |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 90 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | July 23, 2004 |
| DVD release date: | December 7, 2004 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | violence and intense action, and brief language |