Writers: Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns, George Nolfi
Stars: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Edgar Ramirez, Joan Allen
Jason Bourne is once again brought out of hiding, this time by reporter Simon Ross, who is trying to reveal the secrets of Operation Blackbriar, a new version of Treadstone, in newspaper columns. Information from Ross stirs up new memories for Jason, and he must finally uncover his dark past, all while evading CIA Deputy Director Noah Vosen. He has support this time, coming from Pamela Landy and Nicky Parsons. Paul Greengrass returns to direct in the 3rd film based on Robert Ledlum's novel series. After watching the Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy, I was geared and ready to watch The Bourne Ultimatum. My favorite film in the original trilogy was Supremacy, mostly because Paul Greengrass can film a movie (his shaky cam filmmaking is great), but the original Identity is equally fun. I went into Ultimatum with the same expectations as the first two. And man, was I not disappointed!
Tony Gilroy had intended Supremacy to emphasise Bourne's repentance and atonement for his murders, but felt that the released film omitted this focus. Gilroy was persuaded to write an initial draft of Ultimatum, but did not participate further, and as of 2009 had not watched the finished film. Gilroy's screenplay draft was subsequently criticized by Matt Damon. The “Ultimatum” shoot was famously hectic, with writers George Nolfi (who directed Damon in “The Adjustment Bureau”) and Scott Z. Burns called in for emergency re-writes.
According to Paul Greengrass, when discussing Ultimatum and Bourne's role in it, "Bourne is a real man in a real world in pursuit of a mythic quest. What's wonderful is that it's an oppositional story. Is he a killer, or was he made to be a killer? There is an underlying feeling that Bourne is one of us, and he's running away from "them." He's trying to get answers, and he doesn't trust them. They're all bad, and the system's corrupted. To convey that with a sense of excitement in a very contemporary land-scape is great fun. If you opened your door in New York or Paris or London or whatever, you've got to believe that whatever the story it is that Bourne's engaged in [,something] could be happening there. What attracts me to Bourne's world is that it is a real world and I think I'm most comfortable there." And that's exactly the vision that Greengrass was trying to emulate in this 3rd and supposedly last film in the original trilogy.
The film has a lot more action than the latter film. The film literally begins with a chase scene, where Damon evades Moscow police. There are numerous punching scenes, all violent and brutal, a bike chase as well as a foot chase, and a car chase scene. Greengrass once again delivers with a realistic, documentary style of film-making. The shaky camera angles are fine to me, because it makes the audience feel like they are in the film, going through the action with the characters. Damon is once again magnificent in the role. He was born for the role of Bourne (fun pun!). He plays his role with a quiet intensity that draws you in instantly. David Strathairn is a newcomer to this series as Noah Vosen, and he's definitely having a blast playing the role of the villain. Julia Stiles is equally good here, playing Bourne's partner in this film. Joan Allen is also good as this film, reprising her role as Pamela Landy. Overall, a great third film in the franchise. All of the original Bourne films are great fun!
8/10
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