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Before starting this review it is necessary to affix two declarations to the record: The Bourne Ultimatum is superior to Casino Royale, and Julia Stiles, a perfectly capable actress she may be, is certainly not as attractive as, for example, a run-of-the-mill Bond girl. In conjunction with the aforementioned avowals it is also necessary to announce however that Paul Greengrass' threequel is nothing to do with 007 - Matt Damon is Robert Ludlum's version of another J.B. (even if the 2007 motion picture differs completely from the 1990 novel). Jason Bourne, following his excellent outings in Identity and Supremacy, is back.
Ace British actor Paddy Considine enters the spy saga as a Guardian journalist who lures our hero out of hiding. With new info in his arsenal, Bourne retraces his forgotten life as an assassin, dodging those who want him dead. To the casual viewer of the spy genre, this, or alterations on this premise, are ostensibly extremely common plot devices. Damon commits so much dedication to our favourite cinematic amnesiac however that you begin to care about his destiny - indeed, affection actually grows over the three films. The intelligence and tempo of the film also assures desirability from the target audience - Ultimatum is the highest-grossing film Stateside already for August 2007 - and faithful fans of the first two instalments and the books know astuteness will shine through. After all, even though this is a world of action-first-questions-later, Greengrass makes the scarce dialogue rapid in delivery and essential. The Waterloo Station sequence is a perfect example of this conjecture. Damon's eloquence is haunting to complement the urgency of the situation, but it's also compulsory backseat discourse in position to play as sidekick to the bombastic action.
We never really understand why Noah Vosen (Strathairn) and his colleagues are after Bourne so desperately until the second act, and the protagonist supposedly has some kind of Bin Laden-like powers of disappearance in that he cannot be tracked down by the CIA, but these are the only two minus points from a fine film. In actuality, the ethically forbidden Blackbriar project from the CIA is explained in a respectable uncertain way to shadow the mysteries of the film's intrigue, and Bourne is Bourne, so consequently he cannot be captured in the first couple of minutes - Damon circumnavigates the globe (New York, London, Madrid, Turin, Tangiers, and Moscow) by showcasing sensational stunts in each destination.
Greengrass employs very effective camerawork in the feature. One certainly notices his handheld, almost documentary, style in certain set-pieces, and it gives the viewer opportunities to be a fly-on-the-wall amidst Bourne's most crucial scenes. The technique may seem unnecessarily rickety at times but it never distracts us from the content. Furthermore, the extremely quick cuts are fantastic and definitely suitable for the pacing of the picture (and to keep the sprawling story under two hours). In fact, Greengrass moves Jason Bourne from action scene to action scene quicker than any James Bond on heat could ever manage. The director has definitely proven he is no one-hit wonder in this territory - Doug Liman helmed Identity whilst the Surrey Capon took the reigns of Supremacy and never looked back.
Special kudos has to go to Damon however. Surrounded by wonderful thespians (Finney, Considine, and Strathairn) and proficient support (Stiles and Allen), the lead deserves the plaudits bestowed upon him recently as an all-round A-list star. His résumé is starting to look incredibly solid - hits, franchises, ensembles, notable directorial partnerships, full genre exploration - and the Bostonian is certainly one of Hollywood's hottest properties. He presents Bourne in an Indiana Jones mould without the charisma - a hero one always thinks will certainly be beaten before somehow overcoming the odds, and sometimes serious injuries to guarantee success. One also shouldn't forget that he looks like an action star, a far cry from the green actor in Good Will Hunting. Couple Damon with breathtaking driving scenes, combat prowess (a fight in Morocco is excellently choreographed), and a decent story, and you have a bona fide action franchise.
The summary
A globetrotting, quasi kung fu fighting, swiftly wiped template of the spy/action canon. A dazzling spectacle which will keep you entranced throughout.
