Common Sense Media Review
Second in trilogy is a smooth but violent thriller.
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The Bourne Supremacy
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 9 parent reviews
Based on 44 kid reviews
Kids say the movie is an exciting and intense sequel with impressive action and car chases, although it is significantly more violent than the original. Many reviews highlight its darker tone, strong language, and graphic scenes, making it more suitable for older teens and mature audiences.
- intense action
- graphic violence
- strong language
- darker tone
- suitable for teens
- thrilling sequel
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In the first film, The Bourne Identity, 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 THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, 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.
Is It Any Good?
The Bourne Supremacy is a smooth thriller for grown-ups with 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 gets to do more action than acting, but delivers a good performance. And the last exchange of dialogue tops it all off nicely.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how The Bourne Supremacy compares with the first film in the triolgy, The Bourne Identity. Is it as thrilling? How does Bourne grow or change from the first film to the second?
Abbott says, "Conklin had these guys wound so tight they had to bust." What are the risks of training an operative like Bourne? Or of not having one? What is the impact of stress on people?
Does the violence inThe Bourne Supremacy ever feel over the top? Is it exciting or gruesome? Which do you think it's intended to be? Why?
Movie Details
- In theaters : July 23, 2004
- On DVD or streaming : December 7, 2004
- Cast : Brian Cox , Franka Potente , Matt Damon
- Director : Paul Greengrass
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Universal Pictures
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Adventures
- Run time : 90 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : violence and intense action, and brief language
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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