I hope Damon returns to this role one day...
Tools:
Recommend review to a friend »
Matt Damon has been made a star partly because of his involvement in the big-screen adaptations of Robert Ludlum´s novels detailing the life of CIA agent Jason Bourne as he struggles to regain his memory and his identity of who he is and what he is. The first two Jason Bourne films, "The Bourne Identity" and "The Bourne Supremacy" have both been successful affairs. They have strayed from the written word of Ludlum, but found a strong audience. The third and final of Ludlum´s initial novels featuring Jason Bourne arrives in the form of "The Bourne Ultimatum" and the series becomes even further separated from the novels but continues to cement Damon´s status as one of today´s hottest action stars. The three film series has become more popular than the long running James Bond series and Jason Bourne is perhaps the most popular spy character in Hollywood today.
I enjoy the "Bourne" films quite a bit. I enjoy their storytelling and their ´reality´ that finds Bourne relying more on his training and physical abilities than fancy gadgets and wits. Bourne is an intelligent killer that can kill a man with only his thumb if he had to. He is constantly aware of his full surroundings and is the crème-of-the-crop of CIA trained spies. The problem is that Jason Bourne suffers from a nasty bout of amnesia and he does not know where or when he received his training. He doesn´t know the full extent of his capabilities and his training. He also does not know who he really is and if he was somebody else before he became a CIA trained killer named Jason Bourne. The Bourne films are dark and serious and a great breath of fresh air from the more humorous and self parodying Bond pictures.
Matt Damon is a talented young actor that is one of the primary reasons for the success of these films. He has an icy demeanor and appears every bit the trained assassin the character is to be. He is incredibly serious, but has a warm and affectionate side that has been portrayed with the lost loves of Jason Bourne. The character is a calculating person that is emotionally deep, but unsure of who he is. This would not be an easy character for any actor to portray, but Damon has nailed the role in each of the three films and this third and potentially last outing for the Jason Bourne character finds Damon so comfortable in the title role that is almost seems a shame that Damon may not make another appearance in a role that he is so readily associated with. Aside from the recent Daniel Craig outing as James Bond, I´ve always been far more interested in the Bourne films than any of the James Bond films from the past twenty years.
"The Bourne Ultimatum" finds Jason Bourne on the run once again. He is wounded and in need of medical attention. His girlfriend Marie (Franka Potente) had been murdered in the second film and Bourne is not a happy man. He travels to Paris to give the bad news to Marie´s brother Martin (Daniel Bruhl). On his journeys he comes across an article about him in a London newspaper. The writer Simon Ross (Paddy Considine) may have information that can help Bourne discover more about himself and his true identity and has made mention of a secret operation known as "Blackbriar." Bourne contacts Ross to meet up with the reporter and discuss what Ross knows, but the CIA is in hot pursuit and Ross is killed before Bourne can completely discuss with him about the article written by Ross.
The CIA is desperate to bring Bourne down and consider him a possible rogue element that could leak to the press information about the assassinations he has performed and information about Treadstone or Blackbriar. CIA Deputy Directors Pam Landy (Joan Allen) and Noah Vosen (David Strathairn) are tasked by CIA Director Ezra Kramer (Scott Glenn) to find and eliminate Bourne. Treadstone trainer Dr. Albert Hirsch (Albert Finney) is also pulled into the operation to end the Bourne problem. However, Jason Bourne is always one step ahead of the CIA and has brought in fellow Treadstone operative Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) to help him uncover the truth about Operation Blackbriar and finally uncover the answers to questions he seeks.
The search for information relating to Blackbriar takes Bourne and Nicky all over the world. They end up in Tangier where they must face another deadly CIA assassin, Desh Bouksani (Joey Ansah) who has been given orders to kill a person with information about Blackbriar. He is also ordered to kill born and to kill Nicky who is believed by Noah Vosen to be in league with Bourne. Bourne eventually enters Vosen´s office and contacts Pam Landy when he arrives back in New York City. There Bourne is given the location of the Treadstone training facility and he finally uncovers his real name and the nature of his training. Bourne becomes the primary weapon against the covert CIA operation where he was their greatest weapon and races against Vosen and the other operatives to stop others from becoming a killer like himself.
"The Bourne Ultimatum" is a fine ending to the three film series. The story comes in full circle and makes good references to the other two films. The ending of the second film is actually one of the later scenes in this third film and it is a rare occurrence where a sequel makes the previous film easier to understand and follow. This three film story has been a wonderful roller coaster ride and if anything, it is sad to see the character of Jason Bourne say goodbye. The film does end with a possibility for Bourne to continue and there were two more novels written by other authors that continued the life of the character. The film ends in a way where everything is revealed, but there is incentive to sit back and watch all three films again to see how neatly all of the pieces can fit together.
My only complaint with the "Bourne" trilogy is the style in which the films are pieced together; especially the latest two pictures that were helmed by Paul Greengrass. They are a frantically edited collection of scenes that are hectic and tiresome in their rapid-fire presentation. The Bourne films are gritty and intended to be more grounded than the James Bond pictures. Their documentary style presentation works very nicely, but I have never been a fan of MTV-styled editing. One established long shot can be a thing of beauty, but you won´t find many such scenes in a Bourne film. Matt Damon provides such a fine performance, but his stoic character is sometimes lost in a whirlwind of scenes.
This is a very good film that would never stand on its own, but is one of the finest third entries in any trilogy. The film currently sits at #115 on the IMDb Top 250 list and that says something about the quality of the film. These characters have been familiar for three movies and the universe of Jason Bourne has been established. Bourne films are spy movies for an intelligent and particular audience that tires of Bond one-liners and clichés that have become tiresome. In some ways they remind me of the old Michael Caine movies featuring the Harry Palmer character. The Bourne films are wholly believable and the Jason Bourne character is one of the best fleshed out character in decades. They are not faithful to the novels, but are great stories on their own merit. Damon is awesome as Bourne. I hope Damon returns to this role one day, but if he doesn´t, then he has provided us with a wonderful thrill ride.
Video:
I enjoy the "Bourne" trilogy, but have always felt it a tedious affair to watch. Paul Greengrass and director of photography Oliver Wood do not create worlds that are comfortable to watch. Greengrass uses a documentary style to his visuals that are grainy and dark due to the usage of natural lighting. The cuts are fast and furious and each of the "Bourne" trilogy films reminds me of gritty examples of the MTV school of filmmaking. Greengrass used this style for "United 93" and I did not particularly enjoy it there either. These are not gorgeous looking films and they look quite rough. It does allow Jason Bourne to populate a dark and dangerous world and one can never complain about an over-processed looking film. The cameras are always on the move and after watching "The Bourne Ultimatum," you´ll feel as if "The Blair Witch Project" was one long static shot.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]22429[/release]