The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

The first entry in this spy trilogy, The Bourne Identity came out the same year as Die Another Day, a James Bond movie in which Pierce Brosnan surfed a melting iceberg. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) was a thankfully gritty antidote to such tomfoolery, brutal and vicious and not at all suave. You're not going to find this guy wearing a tuxedo because it will slow down the speed at which he can crack someone in the face.

Supremacy took that template and banged it up a couple notches. As directed by Paul Greengrass, whose whirlwind use of handheld camera and manic fight scenes would lead to critiques from those with weak stomachs, the film managed to jar audiences out of their spy flick ennui. Bourne beats a man up with a rolled-up magazine, for chrissake. Greengrass would go on to direct the third film in the trilogy, The Bourne Ultimatum and the brave, disturbing United 93. The realism of the Daniel Craig Bond films is a direct result of Bourne's influence.