The Bourne Ultimatum

Director: Paul Greengrass

Starring: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Paddy Considine

The last and most exciting instalment in the trilogy, The Bourne Ultimatum, continues Jason Bourne’s evolution from thoughtless killing machine to somewhat more conscientious maiming machine. Still struggling to piece together gaps in his memory, and once again alone as girlfriend (Franka Potente) was killed in previous The Bourne Supremacy, Bourne finds some clues to his identity in an article written by a London journalist (Paddy Considine). The article suggests the existence of a top-secret CIA black-ops mission, Operation BlackBriar, which commissions willing agents like Bourne into carrying out assassinations. Naturally, the CIA, led by its Deputy Director Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), considers that information dangerous, and commits all its global resources to eradicating Bourne. However the information from the reporter stirs a new set of memories - Bourne must finally, ultimately, uncover his dark past, even if it means going straight into the lion’s den.

Set into motion with an impressively choreographed opening sequence at London’s Waterloo Station – the filmmaking strategy is set to keep you on edge. The Bourne Ultimatum essentially amounts to one long chase scene, yet surprisingly the tension refuses to subside. Zipping from one locale to the next, the action scenes are in danger of blurring into one another, as each new city presents Bourne with a new yet familiar set of one-way streets and narrow alleyways.

However, there are some distinguishing features in the onslaught of action sequences, such as the exciting footrace across the rooftops of Tangiers. Matt Damon's minimalist acting style is one of the reasons why the Bourne movies have become an oasis from other blockbuster action fare. Freed from the flamboyancy of over applied computer-generated effects, the film opts to borrow from real-world news. This allows it to expand into an explosive story, thus succeeding to bring the action genre (momentarily!) back down to earth. Director Paul Greengrass (Bourne Supremacy, United 93) creates a realistic film with a political conscience, and the trilogy leaves us with a feeling of justified anti-government paranoia and wanting to kick some ass.

Cynthia Ebo.