The Bourne Ultimatum is the relentess and exciting conclusion to the Bourne Trilogy. Think James Bond on speed without the small talk. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) jumps from place to place without any letup, wiping the floor with deep cover enemies sent to despatch him in each exotic location. No time for Martini’s here. Bourne even takes an environmenal slant, travelling by Eurostar – not a lamborghini in sight!
The action takes us through fights and car chases in London, Madrid & Tangiers, reaching an adrenalin peak during a positively painful chase through New York City (call it a smash em’ up derby), where Bourne flips a car from an elevated carpark. The vehicle stunts really are worth the price of admission alone.
The movie is so fast, perhaps too fast, that we don’t really learn a lot more about Bourne. Originally inducted into the ‘Blackbriar’ clandestine spy program by Dr Albert Hirsh (Albert Finney), Bourne is questioning his identity and suffering frequent flashbacks to his gruelling training, conducted in a New York City office building. His identity has been exposed by a London Guardian journalist and the CIA is back on his trail.
David Strathairn plays crooked CIA Deputy Director Noah Vosen, deterrmined to snuff out Bourne using all the satellite technology and assasins (‘assets’) at his fingertips, but constantly fails. His ‘egg white’ eating character looked far too fragile to me – I’m not sure if Strathairn was the best actor for this part. Joan Allen solidly reprises her role as CIA operative Pamela Landy, setting off the good cop/bad cop struggle against Strathairn.
Scott Glenn has a small role as sinister CIA Director Ezra Kramer. He’s definitely the one pulling the strings here, and while the action pumps to excess, you’re left thinking that there must be something bigger to all of this. I’m absolutely sure that the Ezra Kramer character will be revealed in full in future Bourne episodes (no need to be cynical here – but like Bond, Bourne will turn up again, you can bet on that).
Full credit must go to Paul Greengrass for his brilliant direction here. With what is essentially a simple storyline (one long chase), you soon learn to look beyond the limitations of geography or physical reality as the action leaves you completely breathless. The final scene definitely leaves the Bourne saga open for more to come. We will wait with bated breath.
The movie is so fast, perhaps too fast, that we don’t really learn a lot more about Bourne. Originally inducted into the ‘Blackbriar’ clandestine spy program by Dr Albert Hirsh (Albert Finney), Bourne is questioning his identity and suffering frequent flashbacks to his gruelling training, conducted in a New York City office building. His identity has been exposed by a London Guardian journalist and the CIA is back on his trail.
David Strathairn plays crooked CIA Deputy Director Noah Vosen, deterrmined to snuff out Bourne using all the satellite technology and assasins (‘assets’) at his fingertips, but constantly fails. His ‘egg white’ eating character looked far too fragile to me – I’m not sure if Strathairn was the best actor for this part. Joan Allen solidly reprises her role as CIA operative Pamela Landy, setting off the good cop/bad cop struggle against Strathairn.
Scott Glenn has a small role as sinister CIA Director Ezra Kramer. He’s definitely the one pulling the strings here, and while the action pumps to excess, you’re left thinking that there must be something bigger to all of this. I’m absolutely sure that the Ezra Kramer character will be revealed in full in future Bourne episodes (no need to be cynical here – but like Bond, Bourne will turn up again, you can bet on that).
Full credit must go to Paul Greengrass for his brilliant direction here. With what is essentially a simple storyline (one long chase), you soon learn to look beyond the limitations of geography or physical reality as the action leaves you completely breathless. The final scene definitely leaves the Bourne saga open for more to come. We will wait with bated breath.
The Movie Nut's Rating - 8 Out Of 10
Viewed on Screen 1, Omniplex Newry, Co. Down, Northern Ireland
