Killer Aptitude

“The Bourne Ultimatum”
Starring: Matt Damon, David Strathairn, Joan Allen, Julia Stiles, Paddy Considine
3.5 stars out of 4


The Jason Bourne series enters its third installment, with the pressure of going for a 3 peat of successful films, which are hard to come by these days, with most summer threequels succumbing to unsuccessful installments, the Bourne series bursts through the screen with relentless action, and scope.

Director Paul Greengrass, who helmed only the 2nd installment (Bourne Supremacy), proves he is worthy to helm this franchise further, if required. The film opens with Jason Bourne, once again on the run from foreign officials, while stile seeking out his identity. Bourne played amazingly by Damon, is still in a state of alienation, and despair, as he cannot face what he has done, which is a trained killer, who cannot face or remember his past. In this installment, Bourne finally seeks out his beginning and who was behind his blurred past.

The film introduces David Strathairn as a government official who is behind project Blackbriar, a project which would follow in Treadstone’s paths. Straithairn comes into disagreement with Pamela Tandy (Allen) on whether Bourne should be killed, or rather explained his past to him. Both actors are solid in there respective parts. Bourne is lured out of hiding to contact a journalist named Simon Ross (Paddy Considine), who has been following his story. Throughout his research, Ross has gathered valuable information about Bourne and Treadstone, which trained him.

I haven’t appreciated the previous installments until now; Ultimatum is a fierce thriller with pulsating action scenes, good acting, and wide scope, ranging from Russia, Italy, Spain, the US, and other locations, just like the previous installments. Jason Bourne’s character, while quiet, and not given a lot of dialogue is truly a special character, we learn more from him with looks, than when he is talking.

If the film is disliked by some, it will be due to fast camera movement, which is essential to showing the chaos of an action scene, or the fast paced traveling of the characters. This if the best action film of the summer, and easily the best of the summer sequels. These very well could be the films that define the spy-genre in years to come. Much is credit to Greengrass and his frantic pacing and urge to push the audience over the edge with chase scenes, action, and the Government being driven crazy by not being able to stop this freak of nature named Jason Bourne. I would advise people to obviously check out Bourne Identity, and Supremacy, a lot of the film talks about occurrences in both.

The film is not only a great summer film, but one of the best movies of the year, with its smarts, acting, and fast paced nature, the “Bourne Ultimatum” provides all of the thrills any movie-goer could wish for.