The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

Directed by: Paul Greengrass | 115 minutes | action, drama, thriller, adventure | Actors: Matt Damon, Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez, Julia Stiles, Brian Cox, David Strathairn, Chris Cooper, Joan Allen, Daniel Brühl, Scott Adkins, Trevor St. John, Joey Ansah, Corey Johnson, Tom Gallop, Dan Fredenburgh

The hype surrounding the new ‘Die Hard’ film made one thing clear: the movie audience is ready for old-fashioned, straightforward “kick-ass” action without all kinds of double bottom or smooth CGI images. The return of ultimate no-nonsense action hero John McLane (Bruce Willis) was reason enough for audiences and critics to welcome ‘Die Hard 4.0’ with great enthusiasm. What fun these same people will have with the latest film about the morally conflicted killing machine Jason Bourne. Because where Len Wiseman could not fully live up to expectations with ‘Die Hard 4.0’, Greengrass does know how to push the right buttons with ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’. Not a complex or surprising story full of drama and emotion, no, but an almost non-stop attack on body and limb. Greengrass hardly gives the viewer time to breathe through the succession of blood-curdling action and chase scenes.

So the action and tension are good. Soon into the film, Bourne must protect a journalist from the CIA, who want him dead over incriminating information. Bourne must make contact with the man – who is being watched from a distance by the bad guys, led by Vosen (David Strathairn) – while also trying to stay out of sight himself. Armed only with a cell phone and binoculars, Bourne must get it all done. The tension is instantly palpable in this expertly directed sequence of chase and dodge. He takes out one enemy after another, and when he finally becomes visible through an observation camera, Bourne’s impressive stature is well underlined by Vosen’s response: “Jesus Christ, it’s Jason Bourne!”.

And he does seem to be some kind of superman. He always outsmarts his pursuers and hits just a little harder in a fight than his opponent. But this doesn’t matter. We want to see Bourne triumph. His identity must be revealed, and the corrupt bad guys must pay for their (mis)deeds. Moreover, the chases and action scenes are full of kinetic energy, which, despite the practically unavoidable outcome, remain compelling.

There is hardly any time for emotion and drama. An attempt is made to create something of a bond between Bourne and the likeable cop Nicky (Julia Stiles), but this doesn’t really pan out. They exchange some unexpressive looks, and that’s it. While it’s explicable from Bourne’s character (his emotions were purposely dulled during training), there’s not really an emotional lead for the viewer right now. This was more the case in ‘The Bourne Supremacy’ with girlfriend Marie (Franka Potente). Drama is still somewhat expressed through Bourne’s confrontation with his past, but the problem with this is that little (news) is actually revealed. This applies to the film as a whole. Bourne is still looking for his own identity and in this film he can finally make ends meet.

No, technically speaking, the cake is pretty much finished now. We find interesting accents in details that (can) refer to real situations, such as the situation of large-scale wiretapping among the population, also recurring in ‘The Simpsons Movie’. This is how the CIA tracked down the aforementioned journalist: by dropping the keyword “Blackbairn” in a (personal) telephone conversation. A disturbing practice, that eavesdropping, as this film makes clear again.

Above all, ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ is simply an effective and at times nerve-wracking action film. While the film is unsurprisingly unsurprising, and at times thwarted by Greengrass’s overly shaky handheld camerawork, it, along with that other recent film starring JB, represents a successful return of the no-nonsense action thriller.