Bourne Ultimatum, The

"Ultimatum" has plenty of action and it´s a credit to the film that they´ve made something that should be a simple foot chase (the one through Waterloo Station) into such a thrilling sequence. Even better is the chase through the streets of Tangier and onto the rooftops that leads right into a tremendous fight scene between Bourne and an assassin named Desh (Joey Ansah). What´s great about these sequences is the fact that they aren´t just run, run or drive, drive. Each set piece has a beginning, middle, and an end with Bourne and whatever antagonist he´s facing moving from one location to another. Thus, none of the chase scenes feel like they´re being dragged on as the situations are frequently changing. You can also credit the clever and intelligent ways Bourne uses to get out of problematic circumstances. Bourne is always armed with his wits and never needs a ballpoint pen that shoots laser beams or huge guns. It´s always fun to see what ordinary objects he uses in unique ways. What more can you say about a man who can incapacitate an opponent with using only a rolled-up magazine?

VIDEO:
The video is presented in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. There is some noticeable grain in the darker scenes, but the overall transfer is superb. Colors aren´t bright since the movie chooses colder tones (blues, grays), but they are strong.

AUDIO:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 with alternate French and Spanish dubbed tracks also in 5.1. This is definite reference quality sound and perfect for showing off your system. The body blows, the car crashes, gunshots, and explosions are all booming. The audio also does justice to the pulse-pounding score by John Powell and Moby´s "Extreme Ways" never sounded so good.

EXTRAS:
The DVD includes an audio commentary from director Paul Greengrass which is the typical commentary track most of you are used to hearing. Greengrass has a few interesting tidbits here and there, but spends much of the time dryly describing what´s happening on screen and recapping the plot and themes of the film.

Man on the Move: Jason Bourne (23:56) is a look at the location filmmaking and is split into five chapters: Berlin (which substituted for Moscow in the beginning of the movie), Paris, London, Madrid, and Tangier. We get behind-the-scenes footage along with comments from the cast & crew about the positives and negatives of shooting on-location. We watch them set up shots in the middle of Waterloo station which can't be shut down for filming and using a local crew in Tangier who are fasting for Ramadan.

Rooftop Pursuit (5:39) focuses on the stuntwork done during the rooftop chase in Tangier as well as the memorable shot of Bourne jumping off the roof and into a balcony with the camera right behind him.

Planning the Punches (4:59) shows us the making-of the fight scene between Bourne and Desh. We watch the actors work with stunt coordinators learning each step of the fight and get a look at the props used as weapons.

Driving School (3:24) is a brief look at Matt Damon learning stunt driving techniques.

New York Chase (10:46) is a look at Damon and cinematographer Oliver Wood at work as they shoot the movie´s climactic car chase through the streets of New York City.

Rounding out the extras is a collection of deleted scenes that play as is without the option to watch them separately.

FILM VALUE:
In this past summer of threequels, "The Bourne Ultimatum" stood head and shoulders above the competition. "Spider-Man 3" was disappointing and lazily written, "Shrek the Third" and "Ocean´s Thirteen" were below average, "At Worlds End" was a confusing mess, and "Rush Hour 3" was just a bad idea. "Ultimatum" managed to not only meet expectations, but exceeded them. The film has brought Jason Bourne around full-circle while giving a sense of closure to the series, but still managed to leave things open-ended. I don´t want to see any more "Rush Hour" or "Ocean´s" movies, but I loved "Ultimatum" enough that I do want to see more Bourne movies. One can hope Greengrass and Damon are still up for them.

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