"The Bourne Ultimatum" (2007) - Movie Review

I try not to see trailers for some of the movies. I feel it steals lot of surprises and puts in the thought to expect that “catchy” scene you got impressed upon. I could not resist seeing the trailer for “The Bourne Ultimatum” since I was unmistakably impressed by the previous two installments. The amazing finishing shot of the camera jumping along with Bourne to the windows of a house is that “catchy” scene. I said “damn it” and now I will be expecting it every moment on the screen when the ambience depicts the possibility of that. But director Paul Greengrass never gives time for those. He races with the pace wherein you seriously lose breath with the energy of motion the sequences take through. The window jumping becomes the scene jelling with the whole movie and carries the content of “catchy” for the whole movie as such.

The movie starts off just before the ending of “The Bourne Supremacy” as we can guess Bourne (Matt Damon) makes his escape from Moscow after meeting the girl whose father he killed. The movie rejoins in a finish to fit everything on the basis of continuity. Well, seems Bourne is still not in the good books of CIA heads that he is been targeted. In the meanwhile a London reporter Simon Ross (Paddy Considine) gets to know the top secret special operation BlackBriar which makes him the immediate target for elimination. He is been tracking Bourne’s erratic wandering. Bourne makes contact with him and CIA notices. Then you know – run, run and run all along.

Paul Greengrass makes his movies with the touch of a realism which is so shoddy but still lucid. He brings in the reality he brought in for “Bloody Sunday” and “United 93” along with the standards of believable action. There are death defying stunts of sheer mechanics and we feel the force of it. When Bourne is tired, so are we and when he is refreshed and we gear up for the next chase, stunt or motion of fierceness he is going to make. At the same time, Greengrass weaves in the plot as nicely and swiftly as possible.

What makes Bourne interesting is the cleverness of him and as well as his counterparts. They do not make a dumb opposition but something so politically high and the reach anywhere possible. They have the resources that are as physically and mentally trained as Bourne. But Bourne knows them and their actions. He thinks the opposite and the instant deviation and bait he creates are simple but effective. The killer machines as of him are equipped with resources to eliminate their target but Bourne manufactures his with very little pieces of raw materials which appears useless. It takes the form of distraction or weapon in the hands of this never say die personality.

He is constantly tortured by the faces and questions he has. He knows one thing is that whatever he has been trained and the brutalities he did is against what he signed up for. He wants to meet eye to eye the creator and the maker of the various killing machines like him. And for that he takes extreme pains and energy. But the movie does not take much time to dig deep into him. Because we know Bourne or at least what he is capable of when he is under attack. And they give that with grit and movement so entertaining and exhaustive.

As such the plot thickens well. There is surprise and suspense but the movie really is not about that. It is the continuous chase and the art of choreographing it with realism of guiltless entertainment. Sure there are killings which seem to be brutal. In “The Bourne Identity”, he never hesitates in taking shot or smashing the vehicles of unknown civilians. In “The Bourne Supremacy” he gets pushed to do those but still does not hesitate. He realizes though in the end. Here he is constantly pecked by guilt. He of course kills in the process of saving another and his own. His eyes go down and the pain of him dying inside is evident. Somewhere in this killer the humanity is discovered.

The film stops now and then for moments of observation. The eye contacts and body languages tell what we want to see, hear and understand. The way some one holds the coffee or the small dialogue of “You really do not remember anything, do you?” explains a lot. There seem to have some interest and relation in between Bourne and Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) but it is subtle. Both understand it but know the realities of it. There are very few scenes the film that takes in to touch the sensitivities and they are good enough to carry those with justifying the random behaviour of the characters.

“The Bourne Ultimatum” is a sure thriller with speed of light. There is no way any one can take some moment of relaxation. Some one is watching, chasing, targeting and it is on the run and is tiring. Greengrass gives exactly what he did with the “The Bourne Supremacy”. He gives Jason Bourne, raw killer with humanity and hell a lot of high energy action.