The Bourne Ultimatum

Even though sequels to successful films are usually just a mess or at least do not reach the level of the first installment, in the Bourne trilogy, it is exactly the opposite. The third film, which directly continues the story from the second one, is the most dynamic and stylistically polished part of the series. A very good script, flawless performances, perfect choreography of fight scenes, precisely selected background music, a frantic pace that engulfs the viewer, and fast camera work, which together with frequent cuts creates a seemingly chaotic mix of movements and forces the viewer to attentively follow the image. Perhaps only the somewhat clichéd scene at the end raises concerns about further sequels, as I do not believe that it would be possible to maintain the high bar that was set. The whole trilogy forms a logical framework that will conclude when Bourne confronts his creator and realizes that the toughest battle must be fought within himself. The entire trilogy is at the absolute peak of the action genre in this decade. Overall impression 95%. (26/08/2007)

A complete and unrivaled ride, which does take ideas from the previous two films, but it tightens everything ad absurdum. Greengrass could lecture on dynamic and civilian directing, and Matt Damon is DEFINITIVELY Jason Bourne. Without a doubt, he blended in perfectly with his torn figure, and here and there is the uneven feeling from Liman's "pilot". If we are talking about what a modern and intelligent thriller of the present should be, then all we have to do is play The Bourne Ultimatum from start to finish. It's a film where a) you won’t exhale, and b) you won't remember that you have already seen all this before. Simply because it's so great, it’s not a good idea to take into account the previous attempts at all. (17/03/2008)

So let's summarize: agent Jason Bourne speaks several world languages perfectly and without hesitation, he drives better than a professional Formula One pilot, he can handle four highly trained agents on a few square meters without batting an eye, he knows all possible places and locations perfectly, so not only does he never get lost, but he is always several thousand steps ahead of the local police and the entire FBI and CIA combined (Moscow, London, Berlin, Turin, unspecified places in India, New York, Tangier, among others). Nothing ever catches him off guard, and he always thinks with a cool head, even when there are thousand of people with guns behind him, and he can sneak into the office of the CIA Deputy Director without being seen – don’t forget that it is a high-rise building where one office is next to another, and there are about 165,811,877 people everywhere. And on top of all that, he dares to make bold and ironic remarks. This is just a rough list of all the qualities of this elite agent. So where is the realism in that? And yet they say Bond and Hunt are over-the-top. (07/10/2007)

Some time ago, I wrote in my review of Supremacy that I hope that Ultimatum would be at least as good, if not better. It was better. This is basically one movie split into two. The last part of Bourne’s or, if you prefer, Webb’s adventures has a slightly more lively tempo than its two younger brothers. And all it’s really doing is filling in some gaps in time. The action is top-notch, shaky camera (some people don’t like it, I’m beginning to think I’m its only fan) and the choreography gets full marks. The whole part taking place in Tangiers is breathtaking. And New York is almost as good (the chase in the trilogy) and the cat and mouse in Waterloo station also has a special magic. Paul Greengrass has brought Bourne to proverbial perfection. He pushed hard in all the places where it was still possible after part 2. Nothing better for ending the series. Applause and satisfaction. (22/10/2007)

Excellent conlusion to Jason’s story. It has the most thrilling action of all the Bourne series, Greengrass has made one of the best action films ever. With his frantic but well arranged style he would be able to turn a conversation with an old man over a cup of tea into a monumental action sequence. The Bourne Ultimatum moves forward at very high speed and without a single quiet moment, demanding a lot of focus from the viewer. It’s not very intellectual stuff, but if you stop paying attention for only a moment, you won’t know who is doing what and why, this is how fast this film is. I’m fully satisfied. (05/09/2008)