Intelligent and fast-paced.

Rating: 7/10 (11 October 2016)

Even though the shaky hand-held camera-work was a little hard to watch, I loved that they used that technique because it worked so well for the tone of this movie. It gave the impression that every angle was someone watching the other characters, so you were conscious of how visible Bourne was at all times. Plus, it added to the chaotic atmosphere. What made this finale better than Supremacy was that there was a definitive conclusion. In Supremacy, and later in Legacy, the story felt a little incomplete. The main goal is for Bourne to escape completely from his old life and the people chasing him, which felt like it was accomplished at the end of Identity, and definitely felt like it happened here in Ultimatum.
Unfortunately, the movie is a bit disappointing in theme and character. Bourne is a character that we can root for because of his skills, but we never get as much emotional access as might be possible. It would be nice if he had a little more personality or showed a little more heart just so that things feel more personal as a viewer. The same is true of the antagonists to a lesser extent. All of them are stone-faced and care too much about their jobs, which isn't terrible, but it does fall a little flat. The serious nature the characters fits with the overall mood, though.
Thematically, there is a bit of an ethical conflict near the end with Bourne discovering how he joined the program. It was great to finally see a character with such violent capabilities consider why he should do what he does. I would have liked there to be more of that, but once again it would have thrown off the mood.
The story progression was a bit of a disappointment because there wasn't a whole lot that happened in the 110 minutes. The scenes were pretty long for the most part, but this did nothing to stop the rapid-fire pace that the movie flowed at. The chase scenes in London and Morocco move so quickly that you don't even notice how long they actually take. As a result, the story is largely action driven, but it's all purposeful action. The chases and fight scenes get chaotic at some points, but not as bad as in Supremacy. It's all hand-to-hand combat this time, with minimal gun fights. But most of the action is chase scenes on foot and in cars. Most notably, there is a great tracking sequence in a London train station in which Bourne and the CIA match wits.
If you liked either of the first two Bourne movies, definitely watch this. The story is not as good as that of Identity, but the technical execution is at top-notch in this conclusion. If every movie were crafted the way this one is, I would never watch movies, but Paul Greengrass molds the style of his directing to the style of the movie. The action is very engaging, not the type that lets you just turn your brain off, and contains minimal invincibility issues. The revelations at the end may not be staggering, but they ought to be satisfying. Overall Rating: 8.3/10.