The Bourne Ultimatum

Posted by Nathan Deen (nathan@filmschoolrejects.com) on August 4, 2007

“The Bourne Ultimatum,” the third and final chapter in the series based on the books by Robert Ludlum, is probably the best of the trilogy and one of the slickest and most intelligent action films of the year. The movies have never been on the same level as the books, considering how much the storyline deviates from the Ludlum masterpieces, but if there is one payoff its that a fan of the books like myself doesn’t have a clue what’s going to happen on screen from scene to scene, which does make for a quality movie experience. Director Paul Greengrass, who helmed 2006’s masterpiece “United 93,” has given the last two “Bourne” films a unique identity and a style unmatched by other thrillers.

Matt Damon returns as Jason Bourne, the amnesiac CIA trained killer who struggles to find his true identity and uncover his dark past. Damon doesn’t have a lot of dialogue in this film, but he does do a lot of talking with his fist and his gun and all that kung fu stuff. With the risk of giving too much away, the plot of “The Bourne Ultimatum” can’t be outlined in detail. It’s pretty much the same as the previous two larks with Jason Bourne trying to reach his goal of finding out who he is while encountering heavy obstacles along the way. The storylines of the films are almost completely different from that of the books but the films have always made the character development of Jason Bourne a number one priority. Ludlum didn’t put his main character’s name in the title for no reason.

With Chris Cooper and Brian Cox departing from their supporting roles in the first two films, in steps David Strathairn (“Good Night and Good Luck”) to fill the gap as Noah Vosen, a CIA senior member in charge of black-ops. He works under the people who put the assassination group know as “Treadstone” together. Believing Bourne to be a security threat because he wants revenge after Ward Abbot (Brian Cox) sent the assassin who killed his girlfriend, Vosen orders to have Bourne killed. Strathairn is solid but not very memorable as Vosen, the kind of character who never smiles and isn’t happy until his objective has been accomplished. It’s hard to care about a character like that. We know he’s bad and we know he has the answers, but we don’t think very far past that. Although, he and Matt Damon do share one of the most memorable lines of the year.

Far more memorable are series veterans Joan Allen and Julia Stiles who return as their characters who ultimately assist Bourne. Allen plays Pam Landy, who Vosen uses to track down Bourne. Stiles plays more of a Franka Potente (Marie, Jason’s girlfriend from the first movie) role as she gets caught in the middle of things and is forced to go on the lam.

The film gets off to a rocky and shaky start with an abundant amount of scenes, cutting from one place to another while giving you about two seconds to read the subtitle to find out where the setting is. Greengrass also throws in some roughly edited flashback sequences and probably over cooks it just a little. Here we are ten minutes into the film and we’re trying to catch our breath. Fortunately, the pace of the film evens out and the action sequences are very well spaced and placed within the storyline. Those action sequences are both thrilling and gripping and are extremely well choreographed. There’s a wonderfully shot hand-to-hand fight sequence between Bourne and another assassin hired to kill him. There’s an equally impressive car chase sequence, which is something all the “Bourne” movies have. This one isn’t quite as good as the one in “The Bourne Supremacy” but it’s certainly worthwhile.

Greengrass is one of the most talented directors out there in getting the right mood, feel, and tone; case in point: “United 93.” With cinematographer Oliver Wood, who worked on “The Bourne Supremacy,” Greengrass brings to the screen a beautifully and roughly shot thriller that quickens and slows up the pace when it needs to. Film editor Christopher Rouse does an excellent job piecing the scenes together as well. “The Bourne Ultimatum” does get cocky with its high tension music score playing when very little is going on. On the contrary, it does kinda connect the dots in between the action sequences; there’s not one dead moment to be found in this film.

Though I would never have recommended that the makers of this series deviate from the original storyline created by Robert Ludlum, the films are impressive and their story and character developments are solid. The films are also perfect examples of superb directing, editing, and cinematography. Finally, the “Bourne” series just has a style that’s cool and slick and doesn’t even need beautiful women and an awesome theme song, like another certain character with the initials JB.

Grade: B+

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