Cut To The Chase

Rating: 7/10 (4 September 2007)

'Action' barely rate even a blip on my personal radar but this one enjoyed a fairly universal fine critical response so when I found myself in another city and checked out the sole multiplex this was the only game in town, making it that or the nearest bar. I can see where the critics were coming from and I guess that as 'action' movies go this one certainly delivers but whilst it entertained it failed to engross me to the extent that I did NOT question as it was unspooling rather than later just HOW Bourne was able to travel so easily and quickly from country to country with - presumably - no passport and little or no money. In a similar way I queried the 'cheating' in the way that director Greengrass shot certain episodes, usually those involving high speed chases/fights etc so that, with the best will in the world, it is impossible to know just WHAT is happening; in other words we are unable to follow a given person and/or vehicle from A to Z and trace the trajectory. What we get is something like A to about F then it turns into alphabet soup before stabilizingng round about X, Y or Z. Call me old fashioned but I call this SLOPPY film making from a director clearly convinced that the popcorn brigade won't CARE about logic and continuity just so long as the crashes keep coming. Apart from these cavils it was a pleasant enough time-passer.