THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (2007)

"Move over, Optimus. Bourne is back and badder than ever!"

- Aaron Steven

(4.5/5 Stars)

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Matt Damon's stylish anti-hero Jason Bourne returns to the big screen for one last go around with The Bourne Ultimatum. Directed by Paul Greengrass, who took over the series after the first film, this new chapter takes all the great elements of the first two films and kicks them up a notch.

For those unfamiliar with Greengrass' style, he largely uses hand held cameras and he probably cuts more than a Brooklyn Deli. The almost non-stop movement of the camera combined with the extremely short average shot length (ASL), enables Greengrass to create tension in just about any scene he wants, whether it be a rooftop chase through Tunisia or a CIA round-table debate in Langley. The standard ASL for Hollywood cinema is 8-9 seconds. For action movies, that probably gets cut down to about 5-6. Now I'm willing to venture a guess that the ASL in The Bourne Ultimatum is somewhere around 3-4. That should give you an idea of the amount of visual information that is in front of you throughout this movie.

The story is a little bit confusing, and Greengrass refuses to dumb it down for people who haven't seen the first two films. Much like The Lord of the Rings series, There is no separation of time between the second film: The Bourne Supremacy, and Ultimatum. The third film actually begins during the events of the second film, and eventually smoothly plays into the new story. I know it sounds confusing, but trust me, you'll understand when watching.

Like I mentioned earlier, nothing is lost from the first two movies. The same non-stop pacing that made them so enjoyable is even faster, harder, and grittier this time around. Some of the chase scenes and one fight scene in particular between Bourne and another Black ops agent will have you gripping the arm bars of your seat. The dialogue remains somewhat canned, but some great casting additions along with the natural transformation of Matt Damon into an A-list actor really take the film to a level above that of the first two. John Powell is back as composer and really takes the Bourne theme to a different level with his score. Its almost non-stop percussion, perfect for a movie that is 90% chases sequences. And yes, in case you were wondering, the franchises' signature song comes back with a twist that will have you cheering as the credits roll.

The Bourne Ultimatum is not a movie. Its a non-stop, surge-of-adrenaline, shock-to-your-system, roller-coaster-ride. It is a bullet shot out of a really big gun. It rips the drive shaft out of Optimus Prime and smacks him over the head with it. It makes Jack Sparrow look like Yoko Ono. Its an enigma wrapped inside of a paradox giving off illusion that you know what's going to come next. Its The Man with No Name meets The French Connection, and most important of all...its the best nine bucks you'll spend at the movies this summer.

-Aaron Steven