Movie Review: Bourne Ultimatum

I took a comp day on Friday and spent the day with my wife. She had been away for the week, starting last Sunday. This came on the heels of last Saturdays sad demise of Pumpkin, and mrs. savvybeast and I really didn't get much of an opportunity to spend time together. - The plan friday was to see the new film in the Bourne series, the Bourne Ultimatum.

I loved the Bourne Identity. Directed by Doug Liman (Swingers, Go) it felt like an old school spy thriller, with an amnesiac man trying to figure out why he was so damned good at kicking ass! The nice part of the film was the gritty feel it presented, rather than a too smooth, too polished, Michael Bay style of monstrosity. The inclusion of Clive Owen as a killer and Franka Potenka rounded out a solid start to the film series, and a quick addition to our DVD library. The sequel was also very good, but my wife was very irked because of the death of the Franka Potenka's character. I enjoyed the sequel, (The Bourne Supremacy) and also liked the addition of Brian Cox, Julia Stiles, and Joan Allen.

The amazing part of the newest film is that it is actually better than the first 2! It is fairly rare that movie series get better over time, although there are many notable exceptions. Empire Strikes Back as the best of 6. Lethal Weapon 2 better than Lethal Weapon. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom the worst of the 3 Raiders movies. (I lean to the original). Bourne Supremacy is superb. The film plays it honest, and while Matt Damon's Jason Bourne is on a mission to find out the truth he is relentless, haunted, and feels real. No pithy, John McClane style one liners here. Julia Stiles returns and hints at a previously untold piece of the puzzle, left open to tickle the mind. David Straitharn shows up as a slimy, evil, Bush regime type of fella, and Albert Finney appears as... well, I don't want to spoil it for anyone. Joan Allen is back, and the film is shot with handheld cameras, location shots, and real stunts! How refreshing, to see people in tense situations, going through difficult situations, and reacting honestly. No CGI, no over the top explosions;, no huge movie star smiles with snappy patter. A great film, one of the best of the season, and it consistently brought to mind a couple of other films I recommend you check out. Ronin, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and of course the first 2 Bourne flicks.

Beast