The Bourne Ultimatum

The Bourne Ultimatum picks up where The Bourne Supremacy left off, literally minutes later, capping off a spy trilogy that has really raised the bar for genre. As the latest Bond film can attest Jason Bourne has redefined the assassin/spy for the new generation since his emergence in The Bourne Identity in 2002. The three films are less sequels in a long running franchise and more a tightly knit trilogy with a single story arc. Not to imply that one must watch the two prior films to enjoy The Bourne Ultimatum, simply that to know the predecessors gives one a better understanding of an enormously complex character. The pace is heart pounding yet the film offers a surprising depth and intensity to its characters. No wonder such a stellar cast such as Matt Damon, David Strathairn, Albert Finney, and Joan Allen signed on with so much character to the characters.

Jason Bourne is the antithesis of the cool super spy. Instead of being a suave debonair Bond character Bourne is so conflicted and doubtful of his skills and his profession that he can’t remember a thing about himself or his previous life for most of the three films. This is seen as much a self imposed exile to protect a man capable of sensitivity and caring and high moral character from the terrible things that he has done in the name of his country as an assassin. Plus he is an extremely loyal man; faithful to the woman he loves even though she never makes it to the third picture. A far cry from Bond’s love them and leave them cavalier attitude. Bourne doesn’t wear a tuxedo to get the job done; he wears a hooded sweatshirt and keeps to the shadows which is probably more what one would expect from a government agent.

The great thing about The Bourne Ultimatum is that while Jason Bourne is a man haunted by his past, by the third film the audience has seen enough of his story to be haunted by his past as well. Director Paul Greengrass aids this remembrance by integrating scenes from the first two films as flash backs drawing out the parallels for those who don’t have the films memorized. He also draws more subtle parallels framing scenes that echo those from the previous films while redrawing their context and meaning. The process is effective in giving the haunted commingling of past and present that is Jason Bourne’s life. Bourne is firmly grounded in the here and now knowing the position of every security camera, every entrance and exit, every major player, and all of their license plate numbers. He is acutely aware of everyone and everything around him. At the same time he is distracted by flashbacks of his previous life, rife with water imagery, which cause him to stop dumbstruck at certain pivotal moments.

The story is again propelled by a man versus the organization mentality. David Strathairn joins as CIA section chief Noah Vosen who seems bent on destroying Bourne for the sake of the agency. Only Pamela Landy and Nicky Parsons, Joan Allen and Julia Stiles, the lone holdovers who have survived from the previous film, seem to think that Bourne may deserve the benefit of the doubt to plead his case and clear up the many open questions that define his existence. The pursuit here is the difference between closing a case and finding the truth. And if there is one thing that Bourne is bent on it is finding and exposing the truth.

As with the previous films the action ranges from England to Germany and then here to the United States as Bourne takes on the CIA chief on his own streets in New York. The tagline may be that Bourne comes home but the majority of the action occurs far from the US in Germany and North Africa. The penultimate scene of Bourne in the US is less about location and more about wrapping up the lose ends so that the film can conclude in a tidy 111 minutes.

Greengrass has a firm grasp of what makes a quality action film and he intersperses explosions and claustrophobic chases through the narrow streets and rooftops of cities with quiet moments which do little to relieve the stress of the main characters. Bourne is being pursued and he knows as does the audience that each moment of silence is just a pause to breathe before the next moment of action. The shaky camera movements are back again but the audience is more used to this by now and it doesn’t seem as obtrusive. The quick edits may often obscure the action but they keep everything moving at the hyper pace one expects from films these days. Greengrass even gives us a respectable ending; subtle yet successful in both wrapping up the material at hand while leaving the franchise open to yet another sequel.

The Bourne Supremacy is like the previous Bourne films, the body count is low and there isn’t a lot of blood to contend with. The characters operate not out of bravado but out of necessity. Paul Greengrass has delivered his mark on the spy action genre with a sure hand and a shaky camera. A stellar cast of characters keep this vessel moving to its inevitable showdown between Jason Bourne and the powers that made him what he is. And what he is, is a truly entertaining and well rounded character who the audience wouldn’t mind seeing again. And that is certainly high praise for a character on his third outing.