Bourne is Reborn

Rating: 10/10 (25 September 2007)

From acclaimed film director, Paul Greengrass comes the third installment in Jason Bourne series. Starring Academy Award winner Matt Damon and nominees David Strathairn, Joan Allen and Albert Finney. Great action with an even greater storyline make Bourne one of the most successful sequels in decades.
Matt Damon brings a great sense of vengeance and humanity to his role and engages himself in a character even if he is incredibly reserved. What people tend to forget is that Damon is one of our most underrated and talented actors working in Hollywood today. Turning in great after great performances in The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Departed and Syriana, Damon is on his way to a future acting win to bookend his writing win. His "Jason Bourne" is as complex as he is simple and gives us the range of an actor that the audience believes.
Joan Allen is our most overdue, besides Julianne Moore, working actress today without an Oscar. While it isn't the Oscar bait role that every person dreams of, she brings that needed exuberance to a role and balances this film perfectly. Snubbed for The Upside of Anger, fans of Allen will wait for the role that will land at on a Kodak stage. However, her "Pamela Landy" is quite an impressive performance nonetheless, and is a likable character that the viewer doesn't mind seeing on screen.
Our supporting players David Strathairn and Albert Finney play their villainous roles effectively and exquisitely. We enjoy their on screen presence and look forward to future work from these veterans but there is no shining when Allen and Damon are this good.
The screenplay by Tony Gilroy, Scott Burns, and George Nolfi is quick, engaging and intoxicating as it keeps the viewer enticed the entire time without giving us a breath. Adapting it from the series was an achievement especially when it's an action story, which can often take away from the storyline. They never lose that character depiction and development. Along with the direction by United 93's director Paul Greengrass with his lovely precision of directing and never losing site of source material, Greengrass is our next big directing icon for generations to come, if not there already.
The Bourne Ultimatum is a great addition to a action, crime genre like Lethal Weapon, Die Hard and Casino Royale. Sound and Cinematography are feasible considerations for Oscar in the upcoming season but it is subtle and can be overshadowed and steamrolled by bigger projects. But audiences can easily enjoy this gem of cinema.
Grade: ****/****