Great Action Movie

Rating: 9/10 (5 August 2007)

The Bourne Ultimatum is the best action movie I've seen in some time. As we all know, Bourne is an amnesiac former CIA assassin who is chased around the world by his previous employers. The film's director Paul Greengrass does a masterful job and delivers two hours of non-stop, frenetic action. Bourne doesn't like violence and yearns for a quiet life, yet he is forced out of hiding for another adventure. As you would expect there are amazing car chases and brutal fight scenes. Plot wise it's very similar to the last film, but like the Bond films, the predictability of the storyline is not a drawback, although this may change with Bourne IV and V.
The film starts with the Guardian newspaper in London receiving leaked information from within the CIA. They publish a story about Bourne's former activities and the agency insanely executes the reporter at a busy railway station. This brings media attention and increases the pressure on the agency to kill Bourne before the press catches up with him. Bourne wants to find out about his past and when he reads the story tries to track down the Guardian reporter. The chase is on and Bourne becomes both predator and prey. He remains humble, earnest and unbelievably resourceful. The CIA women folk (i.e., Allen and Stiles) seem drawn to him and they try and protect him from their macho male colleagues. Bourne is smart and has a track record of terminating CIA careers, yet he is underestimated by the new guys at the agency, who are quickly made to look dumb and out of their depth.
There is even a moral message that killing people is bad, and not good for your mental health. The acting is excellent, especially Damon who is first-rate at making Bourne believable and likable. Scott Glenn and David Strathairn represent the dark, brainless side of the agency. The movie is ultimately preposterous but it's a lot of fun and highly entertaining.