Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
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
-
- Bradders said...
- Posted on Sep 08 2007 19:25 A fantastic film that has a satisfying ending. Keeps the audience hooked from the very first minute. Matt Damon delivers his best performance to date.
- Report as inappropriate
-
- ziggy said...
- Posted on Sep 08 2007 19:20 jolly good show
- Report as inappropriate
-
- ziggy said...
- Posted on Sep 08 2007 19:19 jolly good show, exciting to the very end
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Spanner said...
- Posted on Sep 08 2007 18:19 Good film, Must see!!!!
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Hax0r said...
- Posted on Sep 08 2007 18:18 Awesome >< !!!
- Report as inappropriate
-
- John Metcalf said...
- Posted on Sep 07 2007 17:49 This film is absolute rubbish. Just a laborious neverending chase sequence. Tedious or what?! Don't waste your time.
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Charis Corrie said...
- Posted on Sep 06 2007 13:50 This film is defo one to watch. I went with my bf and thought i wouldnt really like it but in the end i think i liked it more. Def one to watch.
- Report as inappropriate
-
- movie lover said...
- Posted on Sep 05 2007 20:05 a great film loved all of it and the best out of all 3 and my mate who has hasent seen the first 2 loved it and one of the best films of the lot a great film if not one of the best of the year so far
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Gemma said...
- Posted on Sep 05 2007 16:49 I loved it, was on the edge of my seat the whole way through. It was just as good as the first 2. loved the ending!!
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Richard Sullivan said...
- Posted on Sep 05 2007 16:18 Quite simply, the most tedious film I have ever been tortured with. Appalling. I like a good chase as much as the next person, but this film is just one never-ending and utterly pointless chase with the most feable and implausible of plots. When Matt Damen appears to get away, he phones up the persuers to say 'I'm over here'. Fine if you're brain-dead - otherwise give it a wide birth.
- Report as inappropriate
-
- didi said...
- Posted on Sep 04 2007 18:23 super!!!!
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Gaz Smith said...
- Posted on Sep 01 2007 10:00 OK... Is it just me or are all of the bourne films exactly the same? I think the trilogy has been an unnecessary drawn out waste of time! All of the films could quite have easily been condensed into ONE 2hr film!! Sorry but a load of rubbish from me as i just don't see the point!!
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Jaykee said...
- Posted on Aug 31 2007 10:42 i havn't seen the film but i think by the trailers and stuff it looks good but not the best 1 yet
- Report as inappropriate
-
- hannah said...
- Posted on Aug 30 2007 18:33 really good unusual for the third to be as good as the 1st two films a must see
- Report as inappropriate
-
- skiprat said...
- Posted on Aug 30 2007 17:19 just mint
- 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
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Martin Provost discusses 'Séraphine'
Trevor Johnston talks to the director of 'Séraphine' about bringing a little known French painter back to life
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now