The Bourne Ultimatum
Matt Damon, Joan Allen, David Strathairn; Directed by Paul Greengrass
In the third installment of the Bourne series, we pick up from where we had been dropped off in The Bourne Supremacy, following behind Jason as he limps across a bridge, just having picked himself up after his umpteenth car crash. The recovering amnesiac killing machine has lost his girlfriend, been relentlessly hounded by assassins, and is in the process of battling some very figuratively nasty, bloody demons. Determined to find peace through forgiveness, Jason Bourne has tried confronting the loved ones of victims who have fallen in his wake, but that doesn't seem to soothe his soul. He must dig deeper into the past he has tried so hard to push away in order to find the answers that may explain who was able to rob him of his humanity, and why.
WARNING: If you, or anyone in your family, has an epileptic condition, consult your physician prior to viewing. If you experience any of the following symptoms while watching this movie - dizziness, altered vision, eye or muscle twitches, loss of awareness, disorientation, any involuntary movement, or convulsions - IMMEDIATELY discontinue use and consult your physician before resuming movie. It is best, while being subject to nearly two straight hours of continuous rapid-fire editing, to look away once every fifteen minutes and walk around a bit. Have a glass of water nearby if you feel a bit unsteady. Don't eat a heavy meal beforehand. If you've got a home theatre system, you may even want some kind of oxygen machine nearby. The frenetic sound bytes of Jason's psychological flashbacks coupled with explosions, dim lighting, blurred images, and the work of a steadi-cam operator with chronic hiccups, may have you on your way to hyperventilation. Anyone who likes their film pacing fast and furious will have stumbled upon the Mecca of film trilogies. Fortunately, the technical ferocity is matched by talent with enough power to fuse this ticking time bomb before we find ourselves too motion sick to care anymore. Matt Damon, Joan Allen, David Strathairn, Julia Stiles, and Albert Finney have the wits and smarts to round this circus out in a completely believable fashion.
You a may be a little lost and overwhelmed should you choose to enter into Bourne's world without having first watched the previous two films. There is a lot of backstory and personal connections and emotions that have been building since the first film, and The Bourne Ultimatum packs a more powerful punch when you've got all of the information you are allowed to have up until this point in Bourne's timeline. The consistency these films have had with breathless cat-and-mouse games, wild fight scenes, and amazing car chases gives the Bourne series the distinction of being one of the very best action/thriller films ever produced. Just remember to breathe while you're watching.
Grading:
Story = A-
Originality = A-
DVD Features = A
Acting = A-
Enjoyability = B+
Visuals = B+
Overall = A-
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