Bourne Ultimatum, TheDirector: Paul GreengrassGenre: Action Publisher: Universal Released: August 3, 2007 MPAA Rating: PG-13 Cast: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen |
A Review by Lee Chase IV
08/07/2007
It has proved to be a fascinating journey. The Bourne movies are disguised as chase pictures, but peel back the glossy surface and you'll find something deeper. The hero is having a classic existential crisis – did he actually have real consciousness before his sea bound birth from the first picture? The first two movies explored the demons from his past and those who didn't want him to remember them. Picture three has Bourne finally having flashes of what happened in the beginning, while still seeking some answers to make real sense of his thoughts.
More than the first two, The Bourne Ultimatum takes dead aim at a government hell-bent on deceiving those working for them (and living on their soil) in order to achieve what is in their best interest. This is most apparent during the picture's final third when Bourne's mystery finally comes full circle. I was expecting something overly elaborate, so it's a pleasure to say the movie's explanations are fairly straight forward and plausible in frightening ways.
With Brian Cox out of the picture, the series needed a new character to stand in Bourne's way as he fights for the truth. David Strathairn steps in and spends most of the picture barking orders to trace phone calls or staring at big screens. Back in action once again is Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), who has come to realize Bourne is not the threat the CIA thought he was and deserves to know the truth. These characters are stock, to be sure, but they're played with such professionalism it's hard to doubt their validity as characters.
Those of us who flock to the Bourne series are, more than anything, looking for the breakneck pacing and the uncompromising action. Doug Liman set the bar pretty high with the first picture –not only was the car chase spectacular, but Bourne climbing down a building and the hand to hand fight sequence are also still fresh on my mind. The trademark of the series has become the chase and the fight, and Ultimatum certainly does not disappoint. Paul Greengrass, who helmed the second installment, is back for more and while his outrageous car crash doesn't match the realism of the one in Supremacy, the fist fight is the most exciting we've seen thus far.
Greengrass loves to shoot frenetic and handheld, a style that served him well in his docudramas, Bloody Sunday and United 93. It has proved worthy in the Bourne series since it makes us feel as if we're part of the experience. When Bourne jumps from a roof onto a balcony and crashes through a window, we're doing it with him. How better to identify with the hero than to share his blood, sweat and tears?
I briefly mentioned Matt Damon earlier, because even though the directors deserve a great deal of credit for the series' success, most of it belongs to Damon. He's shown an enormous amount of growth through the series' progression, from confused and unsure in the first picture, to determined and unstoppable in this one. Interesting how this time out, Damon plays Bourne almost as if he's a robot. Like Bruce Willis's John McClane in Live Free or Die Hard, Bourne has become a force of nature. No matter how severe the damage, he gets up and keeps running. If the picture has a weakness, it's the fact that there doesn't seem to be any consequences for Bourne. There's no doubt in our minds he'll get the information he wants.
Damon has said he is through with the series, and yet the ending definitely leaves room for more chapters in the Bourne saga (given the series' success, more movies seem inevitable). The question is what will be done with the character now that the search is over? The Bourne Ultimatum ends on a perfect note, since it acts as a bookend to the opening of The Bourne Identity. Not to mention that since Bourne is a character who spends most of time moving and not speaking, how quickly would it wear out its welcome? Here is the best action trilogy to surface in quite some time – to see its credibility ruined by a bunch of needless and empty headed sequels would be a shame. As far as I'm concerned, as soon as Damon decided it was time to leave the building, Bourne walked right out the door with him.
© Copyright CultureCartel.com 08/07/2007
