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There once was a hero who worked for the government. He served his superiors with excellence and did what they asked him to do. But then his conscience got in the way—something they hadn't expected. He ended up on the run, his former boss heavily armed and in hot pursuit. His name was David, and his boss was King Saul. That was, of course, a long time ago, but the story is one that still thrills audiences.

Robert Ludlum may have thought about David's desperate plight when he penned the novels about Jason Bourne. Or, perhaps the connection never occurred to him. It's the same thrilling premise, nevertheless, and audiences are caught in its grip again.

The first book in the series, The Bourne Identity, published in 1980, was recently re-written as a screenplay and re-contextualized as a present-day adventure in 2002. With Matt Damon in the lead, the film became one of the most intelligent and entertaining spy films of the last decade. While it wasn't exactly a blockbuster, the film's crowd of admirers has grown since its DVD release, and the Hollywood powers that be smelled a potential profit, so now we have a sequel. The first film's director Doug Liman has moved aside; The Bourne Supremacy is directed by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Paul Greengrass (Bloody Sunday) with a slick, fast-paced style that is dizzying audiences and, in some cases, distressing critics.

But most religious press critics are praising the film as one of the summer's most satisfying entertainments. While they'd never claim that the story has the spiritual depth of the stories about David running from Saul, they assure us that Jason Bourne is a hero who's about more than mere survival. Like Spider-Man's Peter Parker, his conscience and sense of responsibility set him apart as an admirable hero.

Peter T. Chattaway (Christianity Today Movies) calls it "an intelligent, action-packed thrill ride which also has the documentary-like feel of a European travelogue."

He adds, "Most amnesia movies are ultimately about redemption—someone's slate is wiped clean so that he or she can start again. But they are also often about atonement—one has to retrieve one's memory so that one can make right the wrongs of the past. The Bourne films fit into that pattern, and what is particularly heartening about this film is that, where it could have descended into the sort of revenge dramas that have become so popular lately … it ultimately settles for justice instead—and not just the justice that consists of putting down one's enemies, but the justice that calls for confession, even reconciliation. For this and many other reasons, Bourne reigns supreme among current action movies."

Steven D. Greydanus (Decent Films) says the film follows "in the tradition of the best sequels. There's more plot and more action, and if the first film's leavening human contact and flashes of low-key humor are virtually gone, Bourne's humanity, and the moral and tragic dimensions of his situation, are ultimately brought into sharper focus." He considers this installment superior to the original. "Watching [the original], I was intrigued by the hero's dilemma. With The Bourne Supremacy, I find myself caring both about the hero himself and about the story. [This] is one of the best thrillers in a long time."

Rhonda Handlon (Plugged In) says the film's "heavy-handed violence lands it solidly in the sealed files for most families, despite its PG-13 rating." She also points out its divergence from the book's plot, and adds, "The movie takes a lot of mental energy to understand." But her conclusion is decidedly positive: "Jason Bourne … has none of the boyish charm of a James Bond nor the patriotic passion of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan. What he does have is an active conscience that even the most sophisticated dark ops training in the world cannot extinguish."

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July (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48