Robert Ludlum is just really good at these spy tales. Intriguing, complex, coherent plots that hold together. With plenty of skill and some gadgets thrown in. A touch of combat, but not all that much, it's all about the hunt, and about finding the truth. About messing with their heads. :D
Dare I say Matt Damon is quite good in this role. I like him a lot better than in The Bourne Identity. He's not an awkward lost kid, that just didn't fit well for a spy. He's a resolute character who doesn't hesitate or "need to think". The trench coat may be a bit much, he never takes it off.
It's the classical agency-that-lost-the-agent plot. But he's found, and he has to find out who and what. It's a neat story, and in less than two hours they wrap it up. I do wonder if there isn't more to the story, though. If Ludlum didn't in fact craft a more complicated tale. As far as I can see, there's nothing missing from the movie, everything fits. What is a bit unsettling is just how many consecutive car crashes Bourne [and his car!] can survive without a scratch. :/
I must say that these intelligence operatives do sound more impressive in a book than they do in a movie like this. That scene in the Berlin square with the tram, they looked rather disoriented and helpless as he blends into the crowd and goes unnoticed. And with all that CIA surveillance not much help tssk.
John Powell did more than a good job on the score, it is very compelling. :thumbup:
[...] this story is how raw the characters are. This is not a story about a veteran in the field à la Jason Bourne, who knows everything, feels nothing, never fails. It’s about a guy you can relate to, [...]