Anyone but Greengrass

Rating: 1/10 (1 September 2007)

The Bourne Ultimatum has an excellent story, excellent actors, music and nearly everything except Director. There is no doubt that Bourne is a major opportunity for everyone involved and in particular the right choice of director could have set Bourne up as a major action series that would rival other major movie series. The books were great and the movies should have been winners. The first film was a major success and set the stage for the series. Then what happened? Some goose went and put Greengrass in charge of the next two films. What we got was fast editing and someone shaking a camera (I was told by a friend that the camera was in a blender). I found during the film that I was expending so much effort trying to adjust to the shaking camera and fast editing and was not able to enjoy some of the action scenes. If you have seen The Bill on TV then you will be aware that a hand-held camera can be used if it is done well. But Greengrass seems determined to be remembered as the person who shook the hand-held camera more than anyone else. What can I say, anyone but Greengrass. He has destroyed what would have been a great series that could have been watched again and again over the years. Greengrass please go away.