8. The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Identity was a cold, hard wake-up call to the action genre: get smart, get real, or face a lifetime in the straight-to-DVD wilderness. Answering its own clamouring call, this ramped up sequel sees Matt Damons titular spy get yanked from his island paradise and thrown headfirst into a new, tougher mission. With Damon never missing a beat as the amnesiac spy, and Paul Greengrass providing some added grit as director, the film ticks ever box for what a sequel should deliver. Theres a deeper story playing out, where intrigue weaves within the action as Bourne goes after the sinister Treadstone project. The action is harder - in one thumping brawl Bourne reaches for the magazine rack in order to deliver pain on an assailant - and even the originals once thought to be unbeatable car chase is bested, with this set piece taking centre stage as the film's climactic duel. Bruising, thought-provoking and above all a pulsating thrill ride, who'd of thought that a few years later this would be topped by its own threequel to be reckoned with in The Bourne Ultimatum?