20 Greatest Direct Sequels Ever Made

After Doug Liman established the world of amnesiac super-spy Jason Bourne, Paul Greengrass boarded the franchise and delivered an incredible sequel that went a long way to revitalizing the increasingly-stale espionage genre, with Bourne even knocking 007 off his perch to establish itself as the most influential spy saga in modern cinema.

Back before it became the de facto technique for action cinema, Greengrass' use of handheld camerawork gave The Bourne Supremacy a sense of intimacy, urgency and immediacy, especially when it came to the action beats, with the Moscow car chase in particular a bone-crunching all-time classic.

Matt Damon cements Bourne as an unlikely action hero thanks to both his ability to kick serious amounts of ass and the deeply personal character arc to seek revenge and reclaim his identity, ably supported by a talented ensemble of character actors.