Wednesday, August 22, 2007

BOURNE ULTIMATUM

BOURNE ULTIMATUM
Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Julia Stiles, Albert Finney, David Straithairn, Paddy Considine, Scott Glenn

"Remember everything. Forgive nothing."

Cinema 3, Rockwell


Well what do you know?
Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is still desperately trying to find out his true identity. It doesn't help that he is still being relentlessly pursued by the CIA, the very agency he was an integral part of from the very beginning. Pursued, hunted and chased by well trained assassins and dodging them through panoramic locales (Moscow, Turin, London, Spain, Tangiers and finally New York) Bourne once again proves he is a worthy opponent. He gets embroiled in another covert project named "Operation Blackbriar" which his superiors are determined to keep as clandestine as ever as most government projects tend to be.

The good thing about this final installment is that it is pretty compact and coherent in itself, it can stand on its own. I mean you don't have to rack your brains over what happened in the first two Bourne films ("Bourne Identity" and "Bourne Supremacy") to understand the story. But I admit I did watch the first two films a few days later (yes I know I should have watched them before not after, oh well!) in the comfort of my home with my beau so I could reacquaint myself with the characters. But in "Bourne Ultimatum" certain flashback scenes are neatly intertwined within the fast paced sequences. It helps jolt your memory a bit.

I also like how the plot wraps up by tying up the loose ends. Finally the scattered pieces of Jason Bourne's disruptive life are being pieced together for some closure. It's about time too, I said to myself as I watched the end credits roll by. My head still reeling from the almost 2 hours of non stop action which just unfolded on the big screen.

The ensemble supporting cast like David Straithairn, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen all contribute forcefully well in their artistic range. Even Albert Finney and Paddy Considine did good in their brief yet significant roles in this spy thriller. But of course, the main attraction and rightfully so is Matt Damon. His Jason Bourne is more mature, more character driven and has evolved quite well in this final installment. This interview in a Guardian article gives you a glimpse into how driven Matt Damon was in this role.

Non stop action from start to finish, edge of your seat gripping spy thriller! It is well acted with a good reliable cast. It has neatly edited scenes. A coherent fast paced and suspenseful plot. Good direction from Paul Greengrass who occasionally used this shaky hand held camera technique. Thus some blurry headache inducing footage but nevertheless it was such an adrenaline rush! So I guess he can be forgiven for that cinematic style.

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