Coherent and flaw-free, this Bourne is the best

Published on August 16, 2007

This stylish spy adventure series comes to an end with "The Bourne Ultimatum" in which Matt Damon settles his scores with the bad guys at the CIA.

Whereas the first and gentler "Bourne Identity" was directed by Doug Liman, this and the second movie were shot by Paul Greengrass, with Liman working alongside as producer.

The result is an almost seamless weaving together of the series that began back in 2002. Damon fully inhabits his Jason Bourne character, having put himself through a gruelling training period prior to the shoot to better convince in the character of a state-sponsored killer.

"Ultimatum" is in many ways even faster-paced than its predecessor"Supremacy", which remains the best in the series because Bourne's actions aren't shackled by amnesia, revealing another side to the CIA assassin.

The finale works better on one point, though - Greengrass has learned from his mistakes in "Supremacy" and has reigned in his tendency for too many uncontrolled hand-held action shots. The weakest part of "Supremacy" was the final car chase, which befuddled audiences with its giddy camerawork and dark shots.

Here the chases are more defined and there's little confusion as to what's going on. Having said that, there might still be a problem for the less attentive cinemagoer - Hanuman noticed one confused viewer falling asleep half way through the film despite the highly charged action from start to finish.

Those who can't follow a story would do better to stay home in front of something less challenging like "Academy Fantasia".

But true fans of the "Bourne" series can't afford to miss this one. Waiting for it to reach cable - where it's bound to be heavily re-edited for the small screen - would be a horrible mistake.

This episode is packed with even more stars than the first two, among them Scott Glenn and David Strathaim as  CIA baddies, and Albert Finney as the man with keys to Bourne's past.

Julia Stiles, who played a minor role in the first and second movies, gets a substantial part here. And Joan Allen just blows you away as Bourne's only friend among the CIA chiefs.

by hanuman