DVD Review: The Bourne Ultimatum

By Jeff Swindoll Dec 10, 2007, 15:42 GMT

Matt Damon is back as Jason Bourne for the latest installment of this smart, action-packed espionage series as he finally learns the truth behind his mysterious past. Bourne (Damon) is now pitted against a new generation of highly trained assasins as well as the relentless CIA operatives who will stop at nothing to prevent him from learning his true identity. Delivering signature Bourne fight and chase sequences, The Bourne Ultimatum ...more

Jason Bourne is back and this time he’s delving deeper into his real identity.  Matt Damon returns in this third film in the trilogy and the action ramps up, as the character gets closer to the knowledge of whom he really is.  

Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is limping around from the events of the last film (I won’t spoil the events of that one for you) and evading the Moscow police.  The amnesiac Bourne starts to have flashbacks to his life before he became “Bourne.”  He evades the police but discovers that a reporter named Simon Ross (Paddy Considine) has been doing a series of articles on him. 

Bourne, anxious to find out about his clouded past, arranges to meet with Ross at Waterloo Station in London.  However, Ross’ use of the codeword “Blackbriar” on his cell phone alerts the CIA and they also send operatives to intercept him to learn who his source is regarding Blackbriar.  Noah Vosen (David Strathairn) is the new head of Blackbriar, which is a reconstituted and upgraded version of the Treadstone operation.  Bourne helps Ross elude the agents so that he too can learn the identity of Ross’ source and track down his past. 

Things do not exactly go as Bourne plans at Waterloo, but he’s able to learn the name of Ross’ source, CIA station chief Neal Daniels (Colin Stinton), from his notes.  Once Vosen learns that Bourne is involved he calls in deputy director Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) to help capture him (although Vosen would definitely prefer that he’s captured dead and not alive).

Bourne heads to Madrid to catch up with Daniels but finds an empty office, which is until some of Blackbriar’s agents show up.  After taking care of them Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) also comes into the office.  Now Bourne and Parsons have to elude the backup group of agents and get to Tangiers to catch up with Daniels.  However, Vosen has activated his Tangiers’ “asset” Desh (Joey Ansah) to make sure that Daniels talks to no one. 

He eventually makes sure that Nicky is safe and follows the trail of death, destruction, and an asset named Paz (Edgar Ramirez) to New York City and to Dr. Albert Hirsch (Albert Finney) and the secrets of his identity.  All the while with Vosen hot in pursuit to make sure that Bourne dies and takes the secrets of Blackbriar with him to the grave.  

The Bourne Ultimatum is based on the novel by Robert Ludlum and it would be his last trip into the world of Jason Bourne before his death in 2001.  The film differs greatly from the novel, but both offer action packed adventures. 

The film is set basically ten minutes after the Bourne Supremacy ended, but the films were made three years apart.  However, they both share the same director – Paul Greengrass.  Greengrass, in my opinion, is an excellent director and whose film United 93 was a very effective movie. 

The Bourne Ultimatum is also just as effective, though in a much different way.  United 93 was a fine tribute to those caught in an act of terrorism and Bourne is a rollicking action film that gets you in its grip and doesn’t let you go. 

Greengrass still uses what I’d call “shaky cam” in that there aren’t many shots that don’t have movement in them (even what would be static head shots in other films have a slight wobble).  This gave me a headache in the beginning, but as the action kicked in I’d forgotten all about it. 

As with United 93 there’s a sense of realism as we spend a great amount of time in control centers of the CIA with the puppet masters calling the shots, but we still get involved in the action as those agents (or assets) do their dirty work. 

When I say realism I mean this film perhaps gets closer to the realness of espionage than James Bond films do, but I doubt that it is exactly what goes on in CIA headquarters (but who knows?).  Even if you didn’t see the Bourne Supremacy, you’ll get caught up in the action and go along for a thrill ride of a movie.  

The Bourne Ultimatum is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.40:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions.  A fullscreen version is available separately.  Special features include a commentary with director Paul Greengrass.  Next are 12 minutes of deleted scenes and they introduce a slightly different storyline for Pamela Landy. 

The “Man on the Move: Jason Bourne” section takes a look at the various locations that Bourne travels to (Berlin, Paris, London, Madrid, and Tangiers) in the film.  You can watch them separately or use the play all function (23 minutes).  The 5-minute “Rooftop Pursuit” looks at behind-the-scenes of the thrilling Tangiers chase. 

The 5-minute “Planning the Punches” looks at how the fights were staged.  The 3-minute “Driving School” delves into the car stunts.  Finally the 10-minute “New York Chase” looks at the big finale in the big apple.  

The Bourne Ultimatum is the ultimate in action and offers many thrills to go along with the high-octane ride.  It may be a bit helpful to have watched the other films but if not you’ll still be impressed when the action starts ramping up.  

The Bourne Ultimatum is now available at Amazon and AmazonUK. Visit the DVD database for more information.