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Movie Review - The Bourne Ultimatum (20070
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Paul Greengrass |
| Starring: |
Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, and Joan Allen |
| Rated: |
PG-13 |
| Length: |
111 minutes |
| Genre: |
Action/Thriller |
| Tagline: |
This Summer Jason Bourne Comes Home |
| Studio: |
Universal Studios |
| Website: |
The Bourne Ultimatum |
| Release: |
August 3, 2007 |
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PLOT
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Is to be or not to be really the question? Not today. Forget Shakespeare, the only thing we're concerned with at the moment is how did Jason Bourne come
to be Jason Bourne? If anybody dare answer, "He was 'Bourne' that way," I promise I will hunt you down and the result will not be pretty. We're talking biker boot
straight to the neck.
In The Bourne Identity, Jason tried to discover who he was, in The Bourne Supremacy, he exacted revenge for what was
done to him, and now the government is trying to eliminate him while he is attempting to get a few final answers about his identity and what made him the way he is. Treadstone
(sounds like a tire company rather than a top-secret black-ops program that created super-assassins) is defunct and has been reimagined as the joint Department of Defense
program Blackbriar. It's responsible for the training of a new generation of assassins who are hidden from domestic and foreign oversight.
But what about old school assassins like Jason Bourne? Well, to Blackbriar, Bourne is nothing but a $30-million malfunctioning threat who must be taken out. To him, they
are the only link to a life he has tried in vain to forget. An issuing of an ultimatum, by Bourne, ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Regarding The Bourne Supremacy, a question I've heard a couple of times is, "Hey Johnny, if I haven't seen the first two Bourne movies will I enjoy this?"
Since the good Lord chose not to bless me with an accurate ability to read minds, I can't really provide a definite answer. Chances are you'll revel in the action,
but you'll be reveling in a whole lot of confusion trying to piece together the story. I've seen both movies, and even I couldn't recall all the details. My
recommendation is to rent the first two and let the derived enjoyment (or lack thereof) be your guide. You'll thank me later. Or not. Ingrate.
The easiest way for me to review this film is to say that if you are a fan of the first two movies then you'll like this. Simplistic? Yes. But incredibly profound? Well, not
really. But why spend ten paragraphs dissecting the film when you have most likely already decided whether or not you'll see it? The rundown is simple. Allow me to speak in
short sentences:
The pace starts on a quick note and rarely slows. Tension is sustained throughout in what is essentially one long game of cat-and-mouse. Dialogue is sparse, though
often funny, allowing the story to be told through the action. The positive to this is the film is always exciting to watch. The downside is the story suffers. The
revelation regarding who Bourne is, what he did, and who was responsible left me wanting a little more. My reaction was, "That's it? They build the mystery of his
character over the course of three movies and that's the payoff? Ben Affleck's a douchebag."
I realize the last part of that thought has nothing to do with the movie, but I can't always control what my brain conjures.
There are also a couple of instances of the "shaky cam fever" that plagued the second film, but it has definitely improved. The big car chase is a thrill, but often the
camera is a little too close and too tight. Please pull back, and let me SEE what is happening!
Oh, and for those of you who care, Julia "Round Face" Styles plays a slightly bigger role than the "hey, it's Julia 'Round Face' Styles" cameos she logged in the two
previous entries.
Minor qualms aside, The Bourne Ultimatum is a fun, solid theatrical experience. The man is a machine, and if you can't laugh while watching a guy lay some smack
down with little more than a BOOK then stay home and watch Masterpiece Theater instead. As I so astutely observed earlier, if you're already a fan of the series then
seeing this on the big screen is a no-brainer.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy have combined to earn more than $500 million at the global box office and have
sold almost 20 million copies in North America alone since their debut.
- Takes place from London to Madrid and Tangier, from Paris to Moscow and New York City.
- The Bourne Ultimatum's final, epic car chase - among Bourne, Paz and scores of CRI agents and NYPD officers - starts off in New York's Port Authority parking
lot, careens down Seventh Avenue through the streets of the Big Apple and ends with a cataclysmic crash along a K-Rail on South Street at the Seaport - but not before
accumulating mounds of battered steel, broken glass and destroyed cars along the way. Production was able to shut down Seventh Avenue to accomplish part of the chase.
"When do you shut down Seventh Avenue?" laughs Damon. "It runs right down the center of the island. It was incredible - the logistics of pulling this off."
- David Strathairn was in The Notorious Bettie Page with Gretchen Moll who was in Picnic with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow
Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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Language isn't too offensive. There are a couple of "s" bombs, but the worst offenders are a few G-d**ns and "Jesus Christ" used emphatically in vain either once or twice.
No sex or nudity.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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If you've seen the trailer and the other two movies then you know exactly what to expect.
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THE GIST
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Enjoy the first two Bourne movies? Then quit reading the review and go check this out already! Otherwise, rent the first two and go from there.
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