Like a fine wine, "Bourne" improves with age

Rating: 10/10 (6 December 2007)

In most spy thrillers, the villains are people from outside the U.S. who run roughshod over the world with their military, political or economic machinations. But not since Rambo has a cinematic hero taken on our own government as the bad guys. Like Rambo, his training has turned him into a nearly invincible fighting machine, who ironically now opposes his former bosses. As each sequel has progressed from the first BOURNE outing, Jason has attempted to come back home, like a loyal dog, but his masters keep barring the door. This dogged pursuit of his goal has made Matt Damon's character a screen icon right up there with Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt and Harrison Ford's Jack Ryan. This latest "Bourne" installment, which I caught at my favorite Garland cinema house, is as equally well-made and entertaining as its predecessors. Great locations set the scene for great action sequences like the chase scenes on the streets of Tangier and New York City, and the fight scene in the bathroom with the asset is arguably Jason's best ever albeit shot at a little too fast a pace. Throw in some fine character development, a good musical score and a story full of suspense, and you'll find yourself strapped in for a great thrill ride. And without giving too much away, the story comes full circle back to the same physical environment from where Jason began his odyssey. I'm really looking forward to popping the cork on the next entry in the series, especially now that Jason seems to have picked an an ally and possible love interest in the form of Nicky Parsons. Dale Roloff