The Bourne Ultimatum
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM: ALL ACTION, NO TALK
If its action you want, its action you will get. The Bourne Ultimatum is a heart pounding, non stop film that only focuses on action and not the story. Paul Greengrass (United 93) doesn’t want to fill you in on what has happened in the first two films and he isn’t going to stop to catch up you up. So focus on the location, location, location. The movie jumps from country to country with London, New York City, etc. providing not just backdrops but highly populated cities to make the scenes more intense. David Strathairn is evil as the CIA man who is after Jason Bourne. So don’t focus on the story, focus on the chase.
Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is on the move. He has been hurt and he is in Moscow. He is still on the search for his identity. He is now having flashbacks of being tortured. Reporter Simon Ross (Paddy Considine) has done a report on Jason Bourne. His source mentions the “Blackbriar”. Jason is still being chased by the CIA. CIA Deputy Director Noah Vosen (David Strathairn) wants Jason and anybody he associates with dead. Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) wants Jason brought in. They are on the hunt for Jason as he tries to find the meaning behind “Blackbriar” and his identity.
The story is the same as the first two. Jason Bourne is trying to find out who he is and what happened to him. It is a bare bones plot. If you haven’t seen the first two Bourne movies you might be a little lost. They don’t wait for you to catch up as there isn’t time to fill you in. Matt Damon is solid as Jason Bourne. Joan Allen is strong as the woman on the inside who is on Jason’s side. David Strathairn is the CIA man with the God complex. You can feel his determination and ruthlessness. Albert Finney is cold as the man who is connected to Jason and the “Blackbriar”. The locations are key points in the film. Moscow, Morocco, London, and New York City are all a part of the story. The chase scenes are terrific. They have become the norm in the Bourne films. But some camera shots are a detriment to the fight sequences. They are moving so fast you can’t appreciate the moves that are being made.
In order to make this a good movie that can stand on its own two feet, the story could have been a little more elaborate for those who haven’t seen the first two films.
Director Paul Greengrass is a man of action. It is the center of The Bourne Ultimatum. Without it there is no movie. Be prepared to be out of breath after the film.
Report Card:
Story-C-
Acting-A
Visuals-B
Originality/Innovation-B
Enjoyability Grade–B
DVD Extras-B+
Overall Grade-B
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