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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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- Dan T said...
- Posted on Aug 19 2007 16:50 Total RUSH of a film. Go and enjoy it!!!
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- Dave Nattriss said...
- Posted on Aug 19 2007 02:50 Another great Bourne film, and one amazing scene at Waterloo. I spent most of it wanting to shout out "No, don't go that way, they'll cut you off 'round the corner..." And if you don't like shakey-cam, don't sit so close to the screen!
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- Moe said...
- Posted on Aug 18 2007 21:23 Fantastic
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- Han said...
- Posted on Aug 18 2007 18:38 fabity fab
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- Phil said...
- Posted on Aug 18 2007 14:09 excellent, excellent
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- Phil said...
- Posted on Aug 17 2007 23:51 Non stop action, great plot edge of the seat stuff & not too far fetched - yet plausible. Great film! Best I've seen this year
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- Smiffy said...
- Posted on Aug 17 2007 16:52 Dis film is Sick man, you get me?
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- ella said...
- Posted on Aug 16 2007 08:56 Pretty good special effects and good plot but the end was weak.
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- D said...
- Posted on Aug 16 2007 01:21 the first n second one was really good n cnt wait to see this one
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- lyndsay jobburn said...
- Posted on Aug 09 2007 09:43 Brilliant watched it in America
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- hannah p said...
- Posted on Jul 23 2007 14:32 looks bloody beaut cant wait to see it m8 wow the action who matt damon woohoo owww gr8 fantastic amazing film
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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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