Buckle up for another ride with Bourne

Rating: 8/10 (9 November 2007)

Black Ops Amnesiac/Killing machine Jason Bourne(Matt Damon,as grim and efficient as ever)has once again re-surfaced,this time in Russia,still not entirely sure of how he became who he became,but now with a better idea of who he is(a la the previous two films). He is starting to put the pieces together,particularly the connection he has with a project named "Greenbriar". He finds his target source in an investigative reporter in England named Ross(Paddy Considine).
Meanwhile,back in the states,the NSA gets word of Bourne's re-appearance and this time,a mid-level counter-terrorism director named Vosen(David Straithairn,as effective as a humorless,undaunted bureaucrat/villain as he is playing more noble characters,if not more so)agrees to try to eliminate Bourne,viewed as an embarrassing remnant of a project they'd just as soon forget they'd chartered. Chargfed with oversight of this project once again is PAmela Landy(Joan Allen,tall,stately dame extraordinaire),who has a better understanding of who Bourne is and how to handle him. Naturally,she is ignored by Vosen,who chooses to merely smoke him out and terminate him and,predictably,fails at every turn.
As Bourne gets closer to what he wants to find,he encounters another familiar face: Op Low-level techie Nicky Parsons(Julia Stiles,with progressively more in this film than she did the previous two),and she aids him along. It's of little surprise that her aiding him makes her as much a target as he,and the tension mounts as he has to both protect her as well as get himself out of the cross-hairs of some determined and skilled assassins.
Having seen the previous two films,and the memories of the ad campaigns from this summer,I got no surprises in seeing this film. Having waited until this made it to dollar films(and I'm not sure exactly WHY I waited for it. Money,I suppose),I feel like I have little to complain about if I found any shortcomings or deficiencies in it. I didn't(for the most part)and thought this was executed faithfully,effectively and competently. While the entertainment value of this movie and the series(which is bound to happen with ANY sequel)depreciating some--I mean,face it,the element of surprise and revelation seems to get smaller with each film,this time involving a previously un-referenced top level government Doc(Albert Finney,sounding a lot like Brian Cox in blurry flashbacks)--this is still a satisfying watch. Director Paul Greengrass returns to this franchise(having garnered impressive reviews for 2006's United 93)and employs the elements of moving,shaky camera to an effect I could appreciate. Instead of playing the action as something to be impressed by,the filming of the movie's action scenes are done more to an effect to give an element of confusion and de-romanticize the violence in play.For the most part,that impressed me,if it didn't always enchant me. Tehe element of suspense manages to build to a crescendo at the 2/3 point of the movie,with a particularly effective chase through a maze of apartments in Tangiers. THe screenplay by Tony Gilroy and Scott Burns is pretty lean,preferring let the verbal interplays between characters simply frame and take backseat to the action.
The one common trait of all the Bourne films(And perhaps for most,if not all,Robert Ludlum novels and their adaptations) is still plenty of frenetic violence,choreographed and yet raw. Put simply,when you sit down for a Bourne movie,I think it goes without saying that you're gonna need to "buckle up" for the ride.As such,I found this ride quite satisfying,albeit a bit routine and bumpy.