The Bourne Supremacy
Universal Pictures | Release Date: July 23, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 39 Critic Reviews
Positive:
30
Mixed:
9
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
A conventionally heightened series of escapes and clashes and hide-and-seek gambits, yet the way the film has been made, nothing that happens seems inevitable -- which is to say, anything seems possible. There's a word for that sensation. It's called excitement. Read full review
90
The New York TimesStephen Holden
This is high-speed action realism carried off with the dexterity of a magician pulling a hundred rabbits out of a hat in one graceful gesture. The crowning flourish is an extended car chase through the streets and tunnels of Moscow that ranks as one of the three or four most exciting demolition derbies ever filmed. Read full review
90
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Spy movies just got thrilling again. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesManohla Dargis
Rarely does pop come with such sizzle. Read full review
90
SalonCharles Taylor
As a piece of craft, and with the exception of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," it's miles beyond any studio film this summer. Read full review
90
SlateDavid Edelstein
The sequel is simply a tour-de-force of thriller filmmaking. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Close to perfect example of an expertly designed and executed thriller. Read full review
88
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Trumping its predecessor with a tauter plot, a lower body count and just as many edge-of-the-seat jolts. Read full review
88
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Taut, tightly paced and thrilling, with some of the best chase sequences -- whether by foot, taxi or Jeep -- in recent memory. Read full review
88
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Greengrass has a fine sense of pacing, keeping events moving. It's rarely hard to guess what's going to happen next, but events unfold with such gusto that there's barely time to notice that. Read full review
88
Rolling StonePeter Travers
If you've forgotten the kick you get from watching a globe-trotting, butt-kicking, whiplash-paced action movie done with humor, style and smarts, take a ride with The Bourne Supremacy. Read full review
83
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Delivers the expected adrenaline-driven thrills with a fresh eye and a refreshing attitude. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderStaff (Not credited)
The action sequences are expert studies in controlled chaos. Read full review
80
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Goes through its airport-thriller paces with dazzling kinetics and style. Read full review
80
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
Plot matters more here than spectacle; the film's real climax involves no demolition, but rather two characters in a room quietly discussing devastating events in their past. Read full review
80
EmpireChris Hewitt
The Bourne Supremacy builds on and exceeds the original, delivering, quite simply, one of the finest big-budget thrillers in years. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Achieves an assaultive intensity that adds a level of visceral excitement to car chases, mano-a-mano showdowns -- even simple conversations. It's a style that takes some getting used to -- the images flit by at near-subliminal speeds -- but proves tremendously effective. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
That the director, Paul Greengrass, treats the material with gravity and uses good actors in well-written supporting roles elevates the movie above its genre, but not quite out of it. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Leah McLaren
Directed by Paul Greengrass, the unflinching eye behind "Bloody Sunday," The Bourne Supremacy not only lives up to the promises of the novel by Robert Ludlum, but in many ways manages to improve on the first film. Read full review
75
New York PostMegan Lehmann
The strapping Damon's lived-in performance makes us happy to follow Bourne wherever he may go. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
The way Greengrass lets you feel the violence is impressive. Most movie heroes punch through armies without scraping their knuckles, but Bourne's a believable wreck by midpoint. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
Solid summer entertainment set in a recognizably real world. Read full review
70
VarietyTodd McCarthy
The action is confusing at first and the hyperventilated editing style at times goes beyond the pale, so pic ultimately emerges as an erratic but not unworthy sequel to its gritty, genre-invigorating predecessor. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Supremacy certainly works on its own terms, but those terms are limiting. It's an entertainment machine about a killing machine.
70
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
Supremacy is, minor quibbles aside, a worthy successor to “The Bourne Identity.” Read full review
70
Film ThreatRick Kisonak
Over all, though, the picture fires on all pistons. The globetrotting's a good time-I can't think of another spy film that's featured as delightful an assortment of seamy international undersides. Read full review
70
The New YorkerDavid Denby
Putting it mildly, this style of shallow, panting composition isn't the way I’d like movies to go, but, of its kind, The Bourne Supremacy is incredibly skilled--much more exciting than its predecessor. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
All herky-jerky camera movements and no pussyfooting around with the interior lives of these characters. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Supremacy has thrills, but without Potente's presence, it loses its soul. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
A serviceable thriller - no more, no less. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
Like its various post-Cold War European locations, the film remains chilly and distant. Every time you feel like you're finally grabbing hold of something involving, the picture once again spins frustratingly out of reach. Read full review
60
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
The loss of the first film's hurtling who-am-I? story engine is keenly felt, and too much time is spent observing the characters get on and off planes, trains, and automobiles. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
A refreshing alternative to the hypertrophied spy thrillers in which exaggerated action sequences, over-the-top super-villainy and high-tech gadgetry trump character and plot. Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyJoe Donnelly
In Supremacy, Damon is left to play basically one droning, humorless note, which, unfortunately, he does with his eyes closed. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
This time it's just chasing, fistfighting, and shooting. A disappointment from the director of "Bloody Sunday." Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Almost everything that made "The Bourne Identity" refreshing -- the wit, the irony, the suspense, the novelty of its premise -- is gone in The Bourne Supremacy, and what's left is the spectacle of Matt Damon, with perfect posture and senses primed like a cat, making his way through a routine action thriller. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
The movie is mostly a series of frenetic clashes, dubious near misses and car chases. It lacks the human interest and snowy splendor of the first movie, directed by Doug Liman. Read full review
50
PremiereAaron Hillis
What’s missing here is the amnesiac hook that made "The Bourne Identity" such a sleeper hit. Read full review
40
Washington PostStephen Hunter
I had some trouble with the plot, but I'm not the only one -- so did the screenwriter. Read full review
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