Fast Food Filmaking- not healthy, not filling, and will kill you eventually.

Rating: 5/10 (12 August 2007)

I was looking forward to this film, I generally enjoyed the first two as decent action movies, not great but very good. The locations were done well in the first two films as well.
To be honest I was very disappointed in this film. As stated in many previous reviews, the editing was AWFUL. If I had not been with my girlfriend I would have walked out. At certain points it made me sick to my stomach. The use of location shooting really didn't matter since in any one scene they would not hold still for longer than seemed like 15 seconds. The annoying editing was present in the second film, but not to the degree as it was in this film.
The "MTV' style edits was used to cover up the contrived dialouge and weak script. Damon had very little dialouge and got by on frowns and facial expressions. Julia Stiles simply isn't believable in her role. Joan Allen is a stretch as well. Its a shame they killed off Franke Potente (Marie) she was one of the lynch pins in this series having a "cool" euro factor to them. See "Run Lola Run" to see her in a great role.
I am all for suspension of disbelief in a rip roaring action film, but you can't have it both ways as Greengrass did, attempt for the realism and then over the top, almost silliness in some scenes.
At one point, Bourne gets into a fight that goes on for minutes, that from my experience and knowledge might not be survivable. He escapes with a minor drop of blood from his nose and appears no worse for the wear a few scenes later. Huh? The vaunted chase scene invovling NYPD marked cruiser was again undone by the crazy editing. Wired magazine featured the technology used to pull off this scene, its truly a shame it could not be enjoyed by the quick cuts and shaky editing.
This ground has been covered and much better in films like Enemy of the State (Same concept, same style editing, but pulled off much more enjoyably) and Spy Game. Yes different movies but you get my drift.
Its as if they ran out of ideas on this one. Some high points, Albert Finney and Scot Glen were both very good in their small roles as CIA scientist and Director respectively. I thought David Strathairn was decent but his role was ruined by clichéd dialouge on how they assume federal agents talk and operate("Code 10 abort", "all agents have shoot on sight authority").
The computer usage and tracking capabilities (in the Ops Center) was so far fetched it bordered on science fiction. The overly dramatic acting in the "ops center" also was over the top. "I need to know were his is NOW!" Strathairn yells at the tech at the computer in while the action is happening in Madrid. In another scene J Allen yells "Put everything you got on XXXX on video 1, NOW!" Please.
I am concerned who they are making films for these days. I know its not me. (I am 31 and work in law enforcement).
The "dumbing down" of films is alarming, mass market appeal is overriding good filmaking and smart intelligent writing/dialouge. I really don't know if there a sustainable market for great films like HEAT (Micheal Mann), Syriana (S. Gaghan), Traffic (Soderbergh), Spartan (Mamet) etc.
Don't get me wrong, I am all for over the top and/or smart action movies, but this one does not hit it on either count and does the first Bourne film shame.
Wait for the video.