This is what happens when you blow $110,000,000 on a game of 'hide and seek'.

Rating: 5/10 (16 March 2008)

A strong entry into the series? This is about as strong-a entry into a series of films as a Halloween sequel is. It seems that director Paul Greengrass has attempted to combine art with entertainment and has come up with a right mess consisting of very few things and those few things in their own right are disappointing. On the surface, The Bourne Ultimatum is Matt Damon returning to the role of Jason Bourne; a man on a mission, a man betrayed by those he was once employed by and a man fighting tooth and claw everyday  running and hiding, trying to evade capture or death  and for what? Well, this addition to the trilogy throws in the old 're-discovering the roots' plot line towards the end after someone in the agency turns out they feel a little sorry for Jason, needless to say, that was a huge anticlimax as is 80% of the film.
A lot may have been said about the camera work but I don't really have that much of a gripe with it; I acknowledge that people's attention spans when it comes to these sorts of films may wander uncontrollably but here, the shaking and the panning is enough to give even those with severe ADD the sense that they may have missed something and would like to go back to double check. But it is more than the camera that brings The Bourne Ultimatum down to the level of mediocre action film dross, it is the fact the entire film is a series of reaction shots; the idea that after having seen this film, stupid people will now be able to tell people they know a country called 'Morocco' exists or that in London there's a station called 'Waterloo'. But the biggest problem with the film is its story because it is a narrative that has been stretched across three films now and by the time the thirty minute mark has gone in this addition, it is a narrative that has worn thinner than an already size zero supermodel on a crash diet. OK, we know Bourne is on the run; we know these government people bark a lot at their colleagues, displaying copious amounts of ego and we know that towards the end, Bourne will get close enough to where he was created just so that we can witness him have an epiphany, with a little help from an insider who conveniently helps him.
The trouble with the film is that there is no heart and there is no logic at times, either. Everything is done by the numbers with chase scenes that do not thrill; fight scenes that do not matter and character interaction down the line of a cell phone complete with stern faces and serious reactions. Onto reactions; this film loves its reaction shots. Every so often there is a reaction in the command centre from one of the many nameless and faceless suit wearing government officials that want to kill Bourne. Every so often, Bourne will look at his surroundings, maybe whilst talking to reporter Simon Ross (Considine) as everyone keeps moving; talking and following one another; it is: 'chase, stop, talk, reaction' repeated about fifty times.
If people are to compare Bourne to Bond, the Bourne films must exercise some sort of clarity; some sort of interesting idea or narrative; some sort of mission for Jason to take part in  the first Bourne film worked because we knew as much as he did due to amnesia but along with that, there was a love interest; a hit-man out to stop Bourne and the off-screen threat of the government felt fresh, but here it is either too lacking or has gone stale. Locations are another important part of these sorts of films, especially if people will compare Bourne to Bond since here, there does not seem a reason for Bourne to travel except to keep on hiding. We are given crude establishing shots every time the action shifts to a new locale: Waterloo station; a Moroccan slum; Madrid. Each shot has a tacky sounding accompanying electronic soundtrack, moves slightly as it shows us these places and generally feels like its some sort of moving postcard. I think it's sad that an English director has to set his action at Waterloo, the busiest station in London but maybe the only one American's will recognise, likewise if the action is set in Spain  where else to go than the actual capital Madrid? It's never anywhere else, is it.
There is a scene that sums up the brainless logic behind the entire film. The scene takes place in Morocco and a car has blown up, maybe injuring Bourne. Desh (Ansah) does not think to walk over and finish him but walks off: cut to the reaction shot and you guessed it; Bourne opens his eyes as the stirring music starts up, kicking him into action as he tracks down the guy and has a fight with him  that highlights both the logistical flaws and the re-occurring reaction shot problem. By the time Bourne has a chance to find out who he is, we are sick of the sight of him; if we've seen him jump off a building once and live to tell the tale, we don't need to see it one final time as his leg flinches and that music starts up again. The Bourne series is becoming an obligatory and inane passage of film, straining its story and dumbing down its thrills and logic  this is certainly a case of The 'Yawn' Ultimatum.