It's not often that a sequel tops an already impressive original, but that's exactly what this excellent thriller manages. Made back when the James Bond franchise had become little more than a pale FX-laden copy of its glory days, the Bourne movies reminded audiences that it was possible to make espionage/spy thrillers for an adult audience, without resorting to invisible cars and laser watches.

For this HD DVD release Universal appears to have turned to the same masters it used for the DVD versions; there is very minor instances of print damage in the same place on both versions. That said, a comparison of the two shows this 1080p transfer to be a major stepup in both sharpness and colour reproduction. While the image is a little grainy, this was apparent in the original cinema print and was obviously an intentional decision on the part of the filmmakers.

We'd have appreciated a Dolby TrueHD mix, but this hasn't happened; still the Dolby Digital Plus track manages to impress. Movement across the speakers is far more natural than on the original DD5.1 mix.

In addition to all of the behind-the-scenes and commentary material that appeared on the DVD release, Universal has seen fit to equip this disc with an ‘Instant Access' feature. This picture-in-picture feature is essentially a two-hour doc drawn from the old bonus material. It's extremely well put together and a more satisfying way of experiencing the extras than the usual piecemeal fashion.

If you enjoy a good spy thriller this is the movie for you and in HD DVD you won't be let down.

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