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Bookmark this pageThe Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Director: Paul Greengrass
Synopsis
In the latest instalment of the espionage series, Jason Bourne hunts down his past in order to find out what the future holds. He travels through Moscow, Paris, London, Madrid, Tangiers and New York as he continues on his quest to find the real Jason Bourne, all the while trying to outmanoeuvre the scores of cops, federal officers and Interpol agents who would prefer him dead.
Movie review
From Time Out London
Confused, mistrustful and trying to keep a lid on the knee-jerk violence to which he is predisposed, Jason Bourne is a troubled secret agent for troubled times. This third part of the most satisfying action franchise of the decade finds Bourne (Matt Damon) still on the run, gradually remembering how US security forces reshaped him as a super-assassin while trying to avoid their continued efforts to neutralise him. Drawn into the open by a UK newspaper exposé, he’s tacitly aided by CIA insiders Pamela Landy (Joan Allen, looking stern in turtle-necks) and Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) while David Strathairn and Albert Finney take on ruthless bastard duties.
Paul Greengrass, director of ‘The Bourne Supremacy’ and ‘United 93’, remains ahead of the field in delivering gristly, handheld, relatively credible action reliant on whatever’s to hand rather than hi-tech gadgetry. (If you thought Bourne was bad-ass with a magazine, just see what he can do with a hardback…) The plot roves across the globe but the standout set piece takes place in our own Waterloo Station, making an exhilarating rat-run of a packed concourse that will have you peering uneasily at CCTV cameras and advertising hoardings on your next commute.
While the crunchy fights and unflagging pace ensure this delivers as genre spectacle – a car chase deservedly got a round of applause at the screening I attended – the muddy ethics also make for a pleasing contrast with standard-issue wham-bammery. The CIA’s instant, lethal access to any spot on the globe and tactics like rendition and ‘experimental interrogation’ provoke anxiety here, not pride, and Bourne’s own killings are followed not by a quip but a flush of shame.
Author: Ben Walters
Time Out London Issue 1930: August 15-21 2007
User reviews of this film
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- someone said...
- Posted on Sep 18 2007 20:30 Definitely the best film of the series. Go and watch it!
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- Leslie said...
- Posted on Sep 18 2007 10:02 James Bond needs to think again, the bourne trilogy takes the spy genre to a completely new level. Quite simply these are spy movies worthy of the 21st century...which so far no other spy movie can match for sheer thrills per second. Hope there's a fourth
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- josey said...
- Posted on Sep 15 2007 20:07 move over bond your days have ended, bourne totally brilliant even better than the first two films.
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- James Layton said...
- Posted on Sep 15 2007 19:47 Well acripted and acted, as with the first two. Totally let down by the massive over-use of handheld camera and very very fast cuts designed to pick up the pace and keep the adrenalin running in a '24' style. Unfortunately it's so over-used that it has you staring at the floor wishing you'd brought your seasickness pills. Real shame. Ruined what was otherwise a great film for me.
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- fatmike said...
- Posted on Sep 14 2007 23:06 great film,greataction,go and see it
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- Roxanne said...
- Posted on Sep 13 2007 23:46 Fantastic film, great pace although a little too fast at times with a few shaky camera shots, had me sat on the edge of my seat. So good i'm taking my boyfriend to watch it, so I can see it again. A must see film
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- butterfly said...
- Posted on Sep 13 2007 13:48 An absolute must-see. The best film i've seen in months.
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- Jaffa said...
- Posted on Sep 13 2007 07:53 Just Brilliant - an excellent ending to a great film trilogy. GO SEE IT NOW
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- sally said...
- Posted on Sep 12 2007 07:42 The first Bourne film I have seen. Great acting and script, shame about the filming techniques. The attempt to use short shots and not-so-steady-cam work to give a feeling of an action packed fast paced movie completely ruined the experience. Take your travel sickness pills before you go.
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- Carol Davis-Wilkie said...
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Posted on Sep 10 2007 16:43
Oops.. a repeat post... forgot to add the stars last time...
Absolutely the best of the Bourne films.. which I loved too... but this one just is so jam-packed full of action!! As I speak, I am looking forward to my FOURTH cinema viewing of it tonight!!! It is really *that* good... I'm a 43 year old professional who rarely does repeat cinema views, but I just had to see it again!!
Enjoy!! ... You won't be disappointed!!! - Report as inappropriate
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- Carol Davis-Wilkie said...
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Posted on Sep 10 2007 16:41
Absolutely the best of the Bourne films.. which I loved too... but this one just is so jam-packed full of action!! As I speak, I am looking forward to my FOURTH cinema viewing of it tonight!!! It is really *that* good... I'm a 43 year old professional who rarely does repeat cinema views, but I just had to see it again!!
Enjoy!! ... You won't be disappointed!!! - Report as inappropriate
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- Kirsten said...
- Posted on Sep 10 2007 16:32 Absolutely brilliant, better than Bond!
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- Leona Luk said...
- Posted on Sep 09 2007 18:17 Gosh, this is so good, there's not all that much more I can say. Damon completely fills the skin of Jason Bourne, and it is a pleasure to watch him in this role. That being said, it's also agony to see Bourne killing people he does not want to kill, and to remember things that are painful to him. I think everyone will see value in this trilogy, with this one probably the best of the bunch. Fantastic stuff here.
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- rick said...
- Posted on Sep 09 2007 17:16 cracking film a must see it was gripping throughout the film.
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- Jamie said...
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Posted on Sep 09 2007 10:29
How can anyone critise the bourne films? this is the best movie ever. if you dont like chase/action films then why go see if and why cost a review?
If you dont like the camera angles then you dont like real life really. WOW i was so exited CONSTANTLY. and everyone that has ITV2 missed the bourne films 1&2 on right after each other - Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: Paul Greengrass
Producer: Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley, Paul L Sandberg
Cast: Matt Damon, Paddy Considine, Julia Stiles, Edgar Ramirez, Chris Cooper, Joan Allen, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Albert Finney full cast
Genre(s): Action/Adventure, Thrillers, Drama
Rated: 12A
Duration: 115 mins
UK Release: Aug 17 2007
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