The Bourne Supremacy (film)
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The Bourne Supremacy is a 2004 film based loosely on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name. It is also a sequel to the 2002 film The Bourne Identity. Supremacy continues the story of the amnesiac and expert assassin, Jason Bourne and his attempt to learn more of his shadowy past.
Plot summary
Background
This film begins where The Bourne Identity leaves off. It more substantially deviates from the underlying book as Alexander Conklin is now dead and the CIA is Bourne's enemy rather than his friend (the plot actually incorporates aspects of the final Bourne novel The Bourne Legacy as well).
This film continues the theme of its predecessor including substantial mystery albeit in a more politically dramatic, double-sided atmosphere. It also ends the romantic sub-plot but subtly increases the emotional side of the Bourne character by further exploring his care for children.
In The Bourne Identity Jason Bourne fails an assassination and gains amnesia as a result of it. Not knowing who he is he is hunted by a CIA black ops organization called Treadstone which trains and manages expert assassins. Bourne slowly discovers he was one of these assassins and manages to sever his relationship with this organization by the end of the film, warning Treadstone of serious consequences should the CIA attempt to follow him. He also gains a companion, Marie Helena Kreutz, but fails to learn of his identity prior to his involvement in Treadstone or any additional information regarding himself including any past operations he may have been a part of.
Goa, India & Berlin, Germany
Jason Bourne and his lover from the first film Marie are now living in Goa, India, far off the net. It is revealed that Bourne is plagued by nightmares of his unknown past, one of which we find later will feature in this film prominently. Bourne wakes up from the nightmare, and Marie comforts him, urging him to write in a journal he keeps to try and work out his hidden past.
Meanwhile in Berlin, we are shown a CIA safehouse and are introduced to Pamela Landy, who is overseeing an operation in which a CIA agent is to exchange money with a contact in order to get the Neski files which have information on who stole $20 million some years earlier - apparently, a mole in the CIA is responsible for the money's disappearance. As the deal plays out, we see a lone figure parking and setting charges which cut the power to the building where the CIA operation is happening.
This figure, later revealed to be a Russian named Kirill, bursts into the room where the CIA agent and the informant are, killing them and taking the money. As Landy and her field team deal with the immediate aftermath, Kirill goes to an airport hotel and meets with Russian oil magnate Yuri Gretkov - who pays him a sum of money, telling him that the rest will come to Kirill when the job is done. Gretkov reminds Kirill that he has a plane to catch soon.
Back in Goa, as Marie goes shopping one day and Bourne runs along the beach, we see that Kirill is now also in India - searching for Bourne. Having finished his run on the beach and now in town to get some water, Bourne sees Kirill, recognizes something wrong about the man and his car, and returns home to get his vehicle. Finding and collecting Marie, they attempt to flee - he thinks Treadstone has returned to finish the job they tried to do before. As a wild chase gets underway, Bourne prepares to go after the supposed Treadstone man, switching seats with Marie. After directing Marie to go off-road for a bit, Bourne is about to jump out of the car when Marie tells him he has a choice - he doesn't have to live this sort of life.
Having abandoned the pursuit of Bourne and Marie by car, Kirill grabs a rifle and sets up a shooting position. He fires, hitting not Bourne but Marie - he couldn't have known that over the course of the chase, Bourne and Marie switched seats. This happens right after Marie tells Bourne that he has a choice. With Marie behind the wheel but incapacitated, their vehicle veers to the side and careens over the edge of a bridge into a river. Bourne extracts himself from the vehicle, then pulls out and tries to revive Marie in the murk of the water...to no avail.
She's gone, and he watches her body float away underwater.
Bourne has survived, and managed to escape with the presumption he is dead - as Kirill watches from above with a gathered crowd. Bourne watches as his vehicle is pulled out of the water, then, burning Marie's identification and other pictures, he collects his multiple identity papers, remaining money, and leaves Goa and India behind...along with the life he thought he was living off the grid.
Naples, Italy & Langley, Virginia
After a boat ride in "from Tangiers", Bourne allows himself to be discovered as he turns up on the net in Naples, Italy - flagged by Italian border agents after giving his American passport for "Jason Bourne".
Simultaneously a meeting takes place in Langley, Virginia between CIA officials including Deputy Director Pamela Landy and Ward Abbott. In this meeting Bourne's return bolsters Landy's case to pursue him for the presumed slaying of the Neski informant. Landy is given access to the necessary information most likely by the director, personally. This information includes all the information regarding Treadstone officially known to the CIA. The director had already questioned Abbott, the man who had Conklin shot at the end of "The Bourne Identity".
Landy needed the Treadstone access as an investigation showed that one of the charges in Berlin which cut the power during the CIA-informant exchange didn't go off and fingerprints leading to a CIA server were found...with access to further info blocked by the secrecy surrounding the now-defunct Treadstone. The CIA higher-up then orders both Landy AND Abbott to go to Europe to clean up the mess Treadstone unleashed in the form of Jason Bourne. On their way to Germany, Landy and Abbott collect Nicky, who operated the Paris safehouse in "The Bourne Identity".
Meanwhile, back in Italy Bourne is detained at the US embassy and a American official there is sent to question Bourne. However, Bourne remains silent in the face of the official's prodding questioning, until the the man gets a call from Langley indicating that Bourne "is an Agency priority one target." Bourne can be assumed to have heard the exchange or gained the gist of it, because as the man attempts to cuff Bourne, in a lightning-fast series of moves he knocks out both the Italian guard and the embassy official, then takes the bureaucrat's phone and attaches a device that allows Bourne to SIM clone the phone (copy the chip and then listen to the agent's phone conversations covertly).
Dropping the phone back by the crumpled officer, Bourne jams the door to the room where he was held, leaves the port of Naples, finds himself a car (replacing a license plate beforehand) in the parking lot, and leaves. While Bourne drives away, the official wakes up as he (and Bourne) receives a call from Pamela Landy. From this, Bourne learns that he is suspected of the murders of the two participants of that CIA operation in Berlin, that Landy is the chief investigating officer in these murders and that she is headed for Berlin... and is none too happy that Jason Bourne got away.
Munich, Germany
Bourne travels to Germany to investigate these allegations, but most importantly to avenge Marie's death - he had warned the CIA to stay far away from him - and perhaps also to learn more about his past. On his way he visits a German Treadstone operative known to him to be living in Munich, who offers a little more information - that Conklin is dead, that Treadstone has been shut down, and that he and Bourne are the last two Treadstone agents. We see that the other former Treadstone assassin thought that Bourne was there to kill him, and alerted the CIA through a secret channel. The agent then attacks Bourne at his first opportunity. After a vicious fight between the two, Bourne is victorious and leaves - with the home's gas on, and a magazine in the toaster waiting to catch fire. Right as agents arrive, weapons in hand, the home explodes...before the agents can enter.
Berlin, Germany
Now in Berlin, Bourne finds the hotel Pamela Landy is staying at, and follows her to the CIA safehouse. Bourne then calls her, while observing the safehouse from a sniper position. Landy confirms for Bourne that Treadstone has been shut down, and that he is wanted for the murder of two people. Bourne says that he wants to come in, and that the person who would best be able to facilitate that is a former contact of his in Paris, Nicky, who used to work for Treadstone. When Landy, stalling, asks Bourne what will happen if she can't find Nicky, Bourne lets her know he is watching the CIA operations center when he says it shouldn't be too hard, as "she's standing right next to you".
As the CIA arranges for Bourne to be taken down if necessary, he spirits Nicky from a tram in Berlin as a busy protest is going on, takes her to an underground passageway, and hearing the reason for people coming after him explains his side of the story to her - he was in Goa, "watching Marie die", when it is believed he killed Landy's operatives.
Nicky subsequently tells Bourne that Abbott ran Treadstone above Conklin, and that Landy's murdered agent and informant were trying to find information about Vladimir Neski, a People's Commisar against the privatization of oil in Russia. Bourne looks up Neski on the web, and finds news articles about a murder-suicide of Neski and his wife. Bourne then visits the "Hotel Brecker" where Neski died, and begins to have flashbacks of his first assignment, before he became a fully active Treadstone operative, before he met Nicky, before the events of the first film, and so on. As Bourne reflects, the police show up and Bourne narrowly escapes, sparking a foot chase which has Bourne injuring a leg and forming a limp he will nurse for the remainder of the film.
We have now learned that Bourne's first "job", as ordered in person by Conklin, was to kill Neski. However while preparing to do so, Neski's wife showed up - so Bourne killed them both, and made it look like a murder-suicide. Through his investigations and flashbacks, Bourne also realizes that Neski had a young daughter - Irina - when Bourne killed him and his wife, and also that Ward Abbott, the man that had Conklin murdered in The Bourne Identity, ultimately backed the Neski murder.
Apparently, Abbott used his control over Conklin and the Treadstone operation to assassinate Neski, who threatened to reveal the source of the stolen CIA money. Both Abbott and a Russian named Yuri Gretkov shared the profits from this illicit deal - Gretkov becoming a rich Russian oligarch overnight, and Abbott receiving his cut later. After another CIA agent privately reveals to Abbott his own suspicions about Bourne's innocence, Abbott kills this agent, goes to the Hotel Brecker, then returns to the hotel, where he calls Gretkov and informs him that Bourne remains alive - presenting a threat to their deal. Bourne must be killed, Abbott demands. However, Gretkov is unsympathetic, declaring their lucrative partnership over and hangs up on Abbott.
Unbeknownst to Abbott, Bourne was in the room listening the whole time.
After Bourne prods Abbott to reveal that he (Abbott) had Gretkov hire a Russian Special Service (Kirill) agent to kill Landy's agents to keep from any illicit dealings from being discovered, and then make it appear as if Bourne was responsible, Bourne leaves with an audio recording of Abbott's incriminating statements - Abbott wanted Bourne to kill him, but Bourne tells him that Marie wouldn't want Bourne to commit another murder in this way. Abbott commits suicide in the presence of Landy, who having heard from other agents that Berlin police found the body of the agent Abbott murdered went to confront Abbott at his hotel. Later, we see that Bourne left the evidence - as a tape - for Landy.
Moscow, Russian Federation
On one of his remaining "special" passports, Bourne travels to Moscow, Russia by train to find Irina Neski, Vladimir Neski's orphaned daughter, so he can apologize for killing her parents. However, Gretkov has informed Kirill that Bourne is still alive, and as Kirill was the assassin who killed Marie when attempting to kill Bourne at the film's opening (and thought Bourne was dead), he instantly goes in search of Bourne.
Bourne travels to Irina's old residence, but as he discovers from a neighbor where "the Neski girl" lives, he is ditched by his taxi - the Russian police have put out an APB on him following a call from Landy to the Russian Interior Ministry when it was discovered he'd boarded a train to Moscow, and the dispatcher warned the taxi driver. Bourne begins seeking cover, but is spotted by Kirill, who shoots him at a distance from a bridge.
Kirill is then momentarily distracted by police who witnessed the shooting and who handcuff him until he proves to them he is in the secret service. Bourne, however, got away. At a supermarket Bourne obtains vodka to sanitize his wound, pulls a gun on a guard who tries to confront him, and steals a Volga taxi after violently disarming two Russian police officers who attempted to stop him by taking a large sip of vodka and spitting it in their faces.
Kirill tracks Bourne to the supermarket, and ends up stealing a Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV to pursue Bourne once it is discovered how Bourne got away. Police and FSB cars participate for a time in a chase through Moscow, but in the end it comes down to a not-so-lonely Bourne and Kirill. In a tunnel exchange of gunfire and crashes amidst heavy traffic, Bourne finally revs his car into Kirill's at a key time, resulting in the SUV plowing into a tunnel pillar, leaving Kirill severely injured. Bourne seems to contemplate killing Kirill, but decides not to instead. Though Kirill looks on the verge of death, it is not known whether he lives or dies.
Bourne walks away from the crash and goes to Otradnoe district of Moscow, where the daughter of the murdered Neski father and mother now lives. Speaking for a short time in Russian, but the majority of the time in English, Bourne reveals in her apartment that 1) Irina's mother did not kill her father, 2) that Bourne in fact killed them, 3) that that was Bourne's job, 4) that this knowledge probably changes things for her, and 5) that he is truly sorry. He then simply walks out of the apartment, leaving the girl to come to terms with his confession.
New York City, New York
After Bourne makes his awkward apology to Irina Neski, we are taken to New York, New York where Pamela Landy gets a call on her cell phone. Bourne is on the other end, and says that he has heard that Landy is still looking for him. She tells him she wants to thank him and apologize to him (off the record), and before he can hang up she tells him that his real name is David Webb and that he was born in Nixa, Missouri (near Springfield). After she suggests he come in to talk things over, Bourne only says that Landy should get some rest, as she looks tired. Landy looks around, wondering where Bourne is observing her from, and then we see Bourne joining the human traffic of New York and disappearing amongst the millions.
Jason Bourne
The Bourne Identity treats Jason Bourne's past and true identity as a mystery, even more so than the underlying books. This film proceeds with this mystery but adds a few pieces to the puzzle. It also further fleshes out the Treadstone operation and its purposes and as Bourne was an operative thereof the history of Treadstone is in part a history of Jason Bourne.
- Although the Treadstone operative in Munich (Jarda, played by Marton Csokas) claims Bourne is the last living operative, the operative who killed Alexander Conklin (Picot, played by Dennis Braccini) in Paris may still be alive. Additionally Kirill exhibits exceptional spycraft and is indirectly associated with Ward Abbott and so may have been a Treadstone operative. And considering the now-questionable trustworthiness of the Munich operative's statements he may have simply been lying. As well, in the Bourne Identity, all the Treadstone operatives were recognized by what city they were based in; In the scene in the Bourne Identity that showed all the operatives only operatives from Paris, Rome, Barcelona and Hamburg appeared. Paris is Bourne and Bourne killed Rome and Barcelona but not Hamburg. The most likely alternative however, is the fact that the Munich operative (Jarda) was the assassin of Conklin (Picot) and moved to Munich from Hamburg between the two movie's timeline. Maybe not though, since the operatives go by two different names and are played by two different actors, and since a well known line from the Bourne Supremacy is when Jarda says to Bourne "word is you lost your memory" and Bourne replies "you still should have moved," indicating that Bourne knew where to find Jarda because he had not changed residences.
- Landy informs the Russian Interior Ministry Bourne is headed for Russia. It is unclear as to what purpose she does this:
- *The simplest and most likely answer is that Landy did not comprehend the whole of the events that had transpired and she simply knew an assassin was on the run and wanted him apprehended or dead.
- *Because she does not understand the full depth or ramifications of Abbott's actions and so genuinely wants Bourne dead. This seems improbable as, although perhaps Landy did not understand why Abbott committed suicide, Landy does not have a rash enough personality to sign Bourne's death warrant before accumulating all the facts (ie that it was Abbott, not Bourne, who was the criminal).
- *Landy may not have believed Bourne's autotape and thought Bourne was simply covering his own footprints even though, from Landy's perspective, Bourne and Abbott were working together at one time.
- *Because she does understand what was going on and wants Yuri (the only name Bourne got on audiotape in Abbott's room) to be taken care of - by Bourne. This seems highly improbable as Landy doesn't demonstrate this level of intelligence or deviousness in the film. To trust that Yuri has a contact or himself works in the Interior Ministry makes this theory further unlikely.
- *Because she still wants Bourne to come home to bear witness to the crimes of Ward Abbott. This is also an unlikely theory as Bourne has made it clear through his words and actions that he would rather be dead than return to the CIA.
- *In the final scene Landy informs Bourne she wanted to talk with him to thank him and apologize. If this is true it seems unlikely she would have told the Russian police to hunt Bourne.
- On the other hand, Landy may have told Bourne his real name and place of birth because she was setting a trap for Bourne to be played out in The Bourne Ultimatum.
- Nicky runs down some of the characteristics of Treadstone operatives when Landy grills her on Bourne's profile. Apparently they have many obssessive-compulsive disorders associated with their training; they all have headaches and other psychological problems that are alluded to but not explained further.
- The form of Bourne's amnesia and possible multiple personalities is further explored in this film. It is unclear whether the character delves deeper into his well-trained assassin persona or becomes more emotional in his powerful drive to avenge Marie and later to apologize to Irene Neski. According to Director DVD commentary, this distinction was left intentionally vague.
Main cast
- Matt Damon as Jason Bourne
- Karl Urban as Kirill; an expert assassin who is working for Gretkov as a favor to Abbott
- Joan Allen as Pamela Landy; a CIA Deputy Director and Task Force Chief, pursues Bourne after her operation goes bad
- Brian Cox as Ward Abbott; a CIA Deputy Director formerly in charge of Treadstone, is actually in league with Gretkov for stolen CIA money
- Julia Stiles as Nicolette "Nicky" Parsons; formerly Bourne's Treadstone contact, helps Landy and Abbott find Bourne
- Franka Potente as Marie Helena Krutz; Bourne's girlfriend, is killed by Kirill in India
- Gabriel Mann as Danny Zorn; formerly assigned to Treadstone headquarters, is now on Abbott's staff, is killed by Abbott
- Tom Gallop as Tom Cronin; Landy's righthand agent
- Michelle Monaghan as Kim; Landy's number two agent
- Karel Roden as Gretkov; Kirill's employer
Crew
- Directed by: Paul Greengrass
- Written by: Robert Ludlum
- Produced by: Doug Liman
- Screenplay by: Tony Gilroy and Brian Helgeland (uncredited)
- Music by: John Powell
- Cinematography by: Oliver Wood
- Special Effects by: Industrial Light and Magic
- Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Trivia
- Filming locations include: Goa, Berlin, New York City and Moscow. Although there is a scene that occurs in Amsterdam it was filmed elsewhere. [link]
- This is the first cinematic appearance of the 2005 BMW 7 Series, as driven by Karl Urban.
Tagline
- They should have left him alone.
- They stole his identity. Now he wants it back.
External links
- [Official site]
- [}}}] at Rotten Tomatoes
| Jason Bourne | |
|---|---|
| Robert Ludlum novels: | The Bourne Identity (1980) | The Bourne Supremacy (1986) | The Bourne Ultimatum (1990) |
| Eric Van Lustbader novels: | The Bourne Legacy (2004) | The Bourne Trajectory (2007) |
| Matt Damon films: | The Bourne Identity (2002) | The Bourne Supremacy (2004) | The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) |
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