The Bourne Ultimatum (DVD)

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INTRODUCTION: THE BEST OF THE SUMMER THREEQUELS
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I’m sure most of you have heard the old saying that “sequels are never equals,” and in general, that is true. It’s truly rare that a sequel can live up to its predecessor, let alone surpass it; however, it’s even more rare that a threequel ...
...When I went to the theaters this week for a sneak preview of THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, I was concerned, because many of the sequels and especially threequels this year have been supremely disappointing. Let’s do a quick rundown, shall we?

SPIDER MAN 3 --- While I did enjoy it for what it was, I thought the plot was too convoluted, and it drained some of the fun. In short: watchable, but hardly memorable.

PIRATES OF THE ... more

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TITLE: Bourne Ultimatum, The

RATING: *****

CAST: Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez, Albert Finney, Tom Gallup, Corey Johnson, Daniel Bruhl, Joey Ansah, Colin Stinton, Dan Fredenburgh, Lucy Liemann, Chris Cooper, Brian Cox.

DIRECTOR: Paul Greengrass

SCREENWRITERS: Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns & George Nolfi; Tony Gilroy (story)

BASED ON NOVEL: “The Bourne Ultimatum” by Robert Ludlum

STUDIO: Universal Pictures / Kennedy-Marshall Company / Bourne Again Productions / Ludlum Entertainment

RUNNING TIME: 111 min

RATED: PG-13 (US) & 12A (UK) for strong and intense violence.

UK THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: Friday, August 17, 2007

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INTRODUCTION: THE BEST OF THE SUMMER THREEQUELS
******************************************************************

I’m sure most of you have heard the old saying that “sequels are never equals,” and in general, that is true. It’s truly rare that a sequel can live up to its predecessor, let alone surpass it; however, it’s even more rare that a threequel can be better than the two films that proceeded it. When I went to the theaters this week for a sneak preview of THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, I was concerned, because many of the sequels and especially threequels this year have been supremely disappointing. Let’s do a quick rundown, shall we?

SPIDER MAN 3 --- While I did enjoy it for what it was, I thought the plot was too convoluted, and it drained some of the fun. In short: watchable, but hardly memorable.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END --- A mammoth film which doesn’t know when to quit---and it insists on swimming in recycled ideas and excess for almost three hours!!! I liked the first two, but this one belongs in Davy Jones’ locker. I think Depp is a great actor, though his charisma and one-liners alone couldn’t save this from being a bore.

FANTASTIC FOUR 2: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER --- One of the worst comic book movies I’ve ever seen, this really made the mediocre original look like a classic.

EVAN ALMIGHTY --- Harmless but forgettable sequel to BRUCE ALMIGHTY, and the lack of Jim Carrey really made it suffer.

SHREK THE THIRD --- While Spidey 3 did manage to stay entertaining, I just can’t say the same for the third film in the animated series. Here again, loved the first two, but I found this one a joyless ordeal to watch, which seemed like it was beating a dead horse---or donkey, if you will, for laughs.

OCEAN’S THIRTEEN --- I thought it was a dud, no more need to be said.

LIVE FREE AND DIE HARD --- The 4th film in this franchise I thought was way better than I expected, though the best action film of the year was yet to come. (Oh, yeah, we still have RUSH HOUR 3 to look forward to, though I’m predicting it won’t be up to scratch either.

As for Harry Potter…no comment…I’m waiting for it on DVD. The point is all of those sequels combined still could not overcome the powerful, exhilarating experience in the theater watching THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, the third (and hopefully final) film in the Robert Ludlum series about an amnesiac spy. Just in case you didn’t read the other two reviews I wrote this week, I loved the first two films, even if the second was somewhat of a downer because they killed off the pivotal character of Marie, which resulted in a lack of sexual electricity that made the romance in the first film work so well. And while I must say that she is still sorely missed (at least in my book), the BOURNE ULTIMATUM was the ultimate thrill ride: phenomenal action set paces, superb performances by all, an action movie with a brain, and best of all, it brought the whole series full circle by having no plot threads dangling whatsoever. It ended the way it should have ended, plain and simple, and it couldn’t haven’t been a better send-off for Jason Bourne.

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BOURNE IS FINALLY COMING HOME
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I must stipulate that the events in ULTIMATUM begin before the final scene in THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, as we open up on Bourne (Damon) in Russia, who is escaping from the police after killing Ward Abbott (Brian Cox), who was the leader of Treadstone, a CIA unit comprised of trained assassins. If you all recall from the ending of BOURNE IDENTITY, Treadstone was dismantled, and Abbott created a new project known as Blackbriar. As for Bourne, after he escapes Russia he reads in a British paper a story about him and his beloved Marie, who was shot in SUPREMACY. How did his story leak out to the press? The spy goes to face the author of the story, Simon Ross (Paddy Considine), and find out how he got the details---and to find out if he indeed knows more about his shadowy past; at the same time, the head of the CIA antiterrorism unit in New York, Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), wants to know what is going on and sets up surveillance in England. Vosen is also forced to keep in contact with Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) down in Langley, who was unsuccessfully able to convince her superiors that Bourne is not a threat to the CIA.

From the dazzling sequence in the London train station to the final, sweat-inducing climax in New York, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM becomes a genuine roller-coaster ride which moves at a lightning pace. Bourne faces his most difficult challenge in Tangier; after hooking back up with Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) he must deal with a superhuman assassin who was hired by Vosen to do something illegal. However, when the job is botched, Vosen orders Bourne and Nicky dead; what compliments is a staggering chase sequence over the city of Tangier, culminating in a brutal brawl in an apartment between Bourne and the assassin. While both Bourne and Nicky manage to leave Tangier alive, Bourne realizes that the only way to continue his life without being a target anymore is to go to New York, shut down Blackbriar once and for all, and learn his true identity.

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THE GREENGRASS-DAMON TEAM STRIKES GOLD
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While the film has virtually nothing to do with Ludlum’s third (and final) novel, what Tony Gilroy was able to do was tie up everything up perfectly and end the trilogy on an extraordinarily high note. Like the first two films, Gilroy does inject psychological layers in Bourne’s personality, while keeping his dialogue to a minimum. Most sequels (particularly second sequels) tend to offer merely “more of the same,” and while that is true with THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM to a certain extent, while this thrill ride is going you won’t even be bothered by that. What might have made this film even better than the first two is in fact in the writing; purportedly, there was never a finished script even during the long shooting schedule of 140 days. There were contributions by two other writers during the process, and that was no doubt due to Gilroy leaving to make his directorial debut on another film. Nevertheless, what can you really say about a film where the only thing that is predictable is what song will be playing over the end credits?

Returning from THE BOURNE SUPREMACY is also director Paul Greengrass and cinematographer Oliver Wood, who both once again employ the hand-held camera technique, though this time they manage to incorporate even more details in the action sequences. Considering the fact that much of the action was filmed by real stuntmen with little special effects (as with the other BOURNE films), it adds another level of realism to the whole film. Both the sequences in Tangier and New York make for terrific highlights, and they were both filmed exceptionally well, so much that the audience doesn’t get lost in all the mayhem that transpires. Even in the “quiet” scenes (which are a rarity here), like the scene where Vosen and Pamela meet in a restaurant to compare notes, I was just riveted, waiting anxiously to see what happened next.

Once again delivering a dynamite, rock-solid performance is Matt Damon, who has really come a long way since doing THE BOURNE IDENTITY. The character of Bourne has now become a law unto himself, and he has learned so much about the CIA’s methods of surveillance and stalking that he is able to find a way out of any dangerous situation with a surprising amount of believability. We must remember that Bourne is now this tortured serial monogamist who is not only emotionally scarred by the death of Marie, though also sick of being a target; in addition, as his past is coming back to haunt him more and more, he feels a great deal of guilt for the modus operandi that he had as a Treadstone assassin. All he wants is to be left alone, and move on with his uncertain future, while at the same time closing the doors to his past and never returning. Damon has been on fire in recent films, with great performances in THE DEPARTED and THE GOOD SHEPHERD; however, I think it is safe to say that he will always be known as Ludlum’s spy, and THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM serves as a film that gives appropriate closure to the character.

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NO QUADRILOGY, PLEASE!
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Once again, Joan Allen excels once again, giving more strength and focus to her role as Pamela Landy, though some more compelling characters are added to make for a wonderful ensemble. First, we have David Strathairn as the cold-blooded Noah Vosen; this character actor has been in dozens of films, though his turning point came when he got an Oscar nod for playing Edward R. Murrow in GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK, which was directed by George Clooney. Strathairn makes for a fine antagonist, and his character is quite different than the ones that Brian Cox and Chris Cooper played in the earlier films; he may be just as crooked, but he brings with him his own kind of brooding menace. Scott Glenn (SILENCE OF THE LAMBS) and the great Albert Finney (TOM JONES) have small roles which add a lot to the proceedings. Then there is also the lovely Julia Stiles, who has hit her stride in the key role of Nicky; in the first film, she wasn’t really given much to do and thus, almost had no purpose. In the second film, she was given more room to breath, but here she makes the role truly memorable. (She even gets to use her own physical training at one point!)

So is this really the end of the BOURNE series? Well, Ludlum only wrote three books, and I think the films end on just the right note that making other inferior sequels would just be unnecessary and uncalled-for. On top of all that, Greengrass and Damon have both stated that they are working on other projects and don’t intend on signing up for a fourth film. The bottom line is that the storyline comes smoothly to its conclusion with no compromises and no distractions---and let me tell you, that it has surely been an exciting and sweat-inducing journey getting there. This is not only the best action film I’ve seen in almost a decade, but it is also one of the best films of the year thus far, and while Damon, Gilroy and the rest of the company deserve credit, it is really Paul Greengrass who makes this one of the great trilogies, alongside INDIANA JONES, BACK TO THE FUTURE, and THE GODFATHER. And, yes, I truly do mean that! The film will be officially coming out in the UK on Friday, August 17, 2007, so you have just a week to catch up with the first two films if you haven’t already. By the way: the film has already gotten 94% positive reviews from all the top American critics according to RottenTomatoes.com, and it currently holds the 56th position on the Internet Movie Database of the highest rated movies of all time!!! Thanks for reading…Chris :)

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CRITIC’S CORNER
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CRITIC’S QUOTE #1: “Matt Damon gets his BOURNE on again in this relentlessly smart and thrilling action masterpiece!” --- Kevin N. LaForest, Montreal Film Journal

CRITIC’S QUOTE #2: “Insistent, ingenious, and slammed full of five heart attacks worth of action, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM may be the best conspiracy action-thriller ever made, a beautifully crafted mix of mayhem, well-earned paranoia, and unlikely introspection!” --- Tom Long, Detroit News

CRITIC’S QUOTE #3: “Tense yet invigorating, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM presents a terrific argument for the nonstop-action summer movie. Even those rare moments when it slows down offer more excitement than other films’ full-bore action scenes!” --- Carla Meyer, Sacramento Bee

CRITIC’S QUOTE #4: “This is a film about momentum, gravity and trajectory; it’s a physics lesson wrapped up in an espionage thriller…and when Paul Greengrass yells “ACTION!” you know he means it!” --- Steven Rea, Philadelphia Enquirer

CRITIC’S QUOTE #5: “Director Paul Greengrass hasn’t manufactured a sequel---he’s written code for template for all future Bonds, Ryans, and whoever-the-hell-else will have to match or stumble or die trying!” --- Kevin Williamson, Jam! Movies

CRITIC’S QUOTE #6: “Bourne has gone the distance in three straight films and seals the achievement of a rare action franchise for thinking adults, combining gripping entertainment with an undercurrent of moral seriousness!” --- Steven D. Greydanus, Decent Films Guide

CRITIC’S QUOTE #7: “A minor miracle in a summer full of weak, perfunctory, and downright lousy “threequels.” It’s a relentless finale to the BOURNE movie trilogy that raises the stakes, pumps up the action, and develops old characters while introducing new villains!” --- M.E. Russell, Oregonian

CRITIC’S QUOTE #8: “This is the summer’s prime noise-maker, with twice the adrenaline of LIVE FREE AND DIE HARD and way more crushed metal than TRANSFORMERS!” --- Matt Pais, Metromix.com

CRITIC’S QUOTE #9: “A sit-up-straight action film! Jason Bourne’s clenched-teeth exasperation and raw rage are, in part, our own…and they screech as loud as all the motorcar metal and metropolitan mayhem in 2007’s best film so far!” --- Nick Rogers, State-Journal Registrar

CRITIC’S QUOTE #10: “As the Moby song says: I WOULD STAND IN LINE FOR THIS…” --- Gina Carbone, Seacoast Newspapers 

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