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If theater owners screening The Bourne Ultimatum want to do
their patrons a service, they’ll stock Dramamine at the concession
stand. The third installment in the Jason Bourne saga, directed by Paul
Greengrass, is literally a blur. This overblown action flick shoots itself
in the foot from the start, substituting one sleight-of-hand fight sequence
after another for intricate plotting and characterization. Granted, at this
point we’re well aware of our hero’s plight and his
capabilities, so little time has to be spent setting up the basic premise,
yet screenwriters Tony Gilroy and Scott Z. Burns do little but pawn off
anti-climactic moments as grand revelations, leaving the audience with
nothing but an “Is that all there is?” climax. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), the amnesia-stricken spy,
has had enough of trying to fill in the gaps in his past, and fortunately
he gets a lead toward putting some of the pieces together through a series
of articles published by reporter Simon Ross (Paddy Considine). Ross’
investigative work has uncovered a secret CIA program that was formed to
create a legion of highly lethal assassins. Although it’s not
uncommon for governments to employ covert operatives, using brainwashing
techniques to do so is certainly frowned upon. Before Bourne can actually
speak to Ross about his findings, the reporter is killed and the spy is
forced to pick up the writer’s trail, which eventually leads him to
CIA headquarters, where he finds himself tracking Dr. Albert Hirsch (Albert
Finney), the mastermind behind the program, and agent Noah Vosen (David
Strathairn), who’s been assigned to stop him. There’s no question that Damon brings an
unbridled physicality and intensity to the role of Jason Bourne, and his
presence has certainly helped this series over some of its rough edges and
moments of implausibility, but this film pushes too far. The fact that
Bourne is able to walk — no, run — away from three accidents that would kill any
other member of the human race stretches the film to the point of
silliness. Key supporting turns are provided by Joan Allen as
senior operative Pamela Landy, who winds up trying to help Bourne from the
inside, and Julia Stiles as agent Nicky Parsons, an unlikely ally. However,
their best efforts wind up being secondary to the outlandish plot they find
themselves in. The intelligence behind the first two entries in the series
is brushed aside here in the name of stunt work, and everyone toils in its
shadow. There’ll be future installments in the Bourne saga, but
let’s hope that those in charge of his future adventures employ more
brains than brawn in bringing the next adventure to the screen.
This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 1, 2007.
