Jason (Bourne) Takes Manhattan
Written: Aug 27 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Damon, Allen, Strathairn, Considine, Finney, Greengrass's direction, story
Cons: Some may be bothered by Greengrass's abundant hand-held shots
The Bottom Line: A worthy successor to the first two Bourne films.
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| pmills1210's Full Review: The Bourne Ultimatum |
As long as Jason Bourne lives, those in charge at the CIA will stop at nothing to see him dead. In The Bourne Ultimatum, Bourne (Matt Damon), a trained assassin of the now-defunct Treadstone project, continues to live a life of secrecy, three years after other CIA operatives first tried to silence him following a failed mission. A woman who aided in his escape, and eventually befriended Bourne, was killed in yet another failed attempt to silence him. In a visit to her brother, Bourne has promised to make those responsible for her death pay. Bourne was also falsely accused of killing an important official, which made the Russians interested in marking Bourne for death. He eliminated the Russian threat before going into hiding again.
He comes out of hiding when London reporter Simon Ross (Paddy Considine) starts writing about covert CIA operations for his newspaper. Not only does Ross start writing about Bourne, but he also starts to ask questions about a CIA project called Blackbriar. Blackbriar is the new, and still secret, continuation of Treadstone under a new name. In a meeting that includes CIA Director Ezra Kramer (Scott Glenn), and Deputy Directors Noah Vosen (David Strathairn) and Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), Vosen is put in charge of investigating who in the Agency leaked information about Bourne and Blackbriar. Vosen is given the green light to terminate with extreme prejudice. He orders a trail on Ross, who has agreed to meet with Bourne in a train station. Vosen wants to make sure his Blackbriar asset, a sniper named Paz (Edgar Ramirez), has a clear shot at taking out both Bourne and Ross. Paz shows he's not afraid to act as he opens fire in the station. This incident does not sit well with Landy, who voices her displeasure to an unconcerned Vosen.
Vosen, meanwhile, also wants to find and terminate the leak within the CIA who spoke to Ross. That person is Neal Daniels (Colin Stinton), who was once involved in Treadstone, but now heads operations in Madrid. Bourne heads to Madrid to help Daniels, but finds that Daniels has vacated the office. When Bourne arrives at the office, Vosen has operatives there, ready to act on Vosen's orders, but Bourne is able to overpower them. While there, he gets help from Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), the agent who once acted as Bourne's contact. She, like Landy, wants to help their fellow agent. Before the CIA can converge en masse at this location, Bourne creates a diversion that brings Spanish police to the building, and allow Bourne and Parsons to escape into the night.
Everyone learns that Daniels has gone to Morocco. Vosen has assigned another Blackbriar operative, Desh Bouskani (Joey Ansah), to take care of all threats. While Desh has some success in his mission, Bourne makes his way to New York CIA offices, where his life as Jason Bourne began. He's there to gather information and to expose Dr. Albert Hirsch (Albert Finney), the psychologist who developed the methods and helped the CIA turn men into assassins. Bourne wants to end his running, and he means to end that with exposure and one final confrontation.
The Bourne Ultimatum continues where The Bourne Supremacy ended, and is the last Bourne novel based on the works of the late Robert Ludlum. The suspense and action go virtually non-stop from start to finish. Director Paul Greengrass crafts a film that practically puts the audience in the picture, with the vast majority of shots being of the hand-held variety for which Greengrass is known. Those hand-helds help create some exciting chase scenes, as Jason puts every bit of his training to use to stay one step ahead of killing forces in London, Madrid, Tangier, and New York. Under Vosen's orders, CIA agents are to treat Jason as though he were an enemy combatant. Jason is not only fighting for his life, but for some part of the life he once had. Bourne has learned from his experience of killing without mercy. While he could dispatch an enemy with just one shot, he uses a gun just once in this movie - and only to attract attention. He knows his enemy very well, and understands that death allows his biggest foes off the hook far too easily. Bourne only kills those who are a direct threat to him, as he shows following the end on one car chase.
While Matt Damon is not normally associated with action hero roles, he shows once again how easily he slips into the role of Jason Bourne. He was a man who assumed a new name to show his willingness to give all for his country - and that's what the CIA bosses want. Jason Bourne is a man who did what he was told, and did it without question. His constant brushes with death have made him question the very things he has been ordered to do. He knows his enemies, and helps anyone who reaches out to him. In one scene, he buys a pair of cell phones and discretely places one in Simon's pocket so they can speak without being traced. In the process of reclaiming himself, he has found he cannot be a one-man army, but he knows enough to defend himself from anyone Vosen sends at him. Allen and Strathairn are excellent in support as agents who differ strongly over the handling of Bourne. As Vosen, Strathairn is a leader who demands complete cooperation. He will not let anyone less than Kramer question his judgement. As Landy, Allen knows she has to be secretive when she deals with Bourne. She sees Bourne as a loyal operative, and should be treated as such, and not as the rabid cur her superiors see. Landy even tells Bourne in a subtle code how he should proceed. Their partnership is pivotal to their survival. Finney and Considine are also very effective in smaller roles.
The Bourne Ultimatum is one of the best third installments in a film series I have seen. It's a superior action film that also questions the notion of victory at all costs. Jason Bourne had been one of the CIA's best secret weapons, until something went wrong, and he failed to acquire his target. Yet, the Agency continues their experiments, and sees such trained killers as assets, and not as people. Jason Bourne was a shadow warrior who saw the cost of living in the shadows, and now has become a warrior of a different cause. Jason Bourne has a new identity, and not everybody is pleased with with this change.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Action Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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pmills1210
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Member: Pat Mills
Location: East Chicago, In.
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