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Bourne Ultimatum |
| Event Type & State |
Article B+ MD |
| Description |
“Bourne Wobbles But He Don't Fall Down”
Michael Myers, the shadowy super villain who stalks babysitters in the Halloween movies can be shot, burned, stabbed with sewing sheers and blown up to bits, yet he never dies. Since in nature, every ying needs a yang, Michael Myer’s doppelganger is Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), the shadowy ex-CIA spook whose bosses would like silenced permanently, but who survives beatings, shootings, and anything else thrown his way. While Myers kills on impulse, driven by blind fury, Bourne kills on instinct, programmed by those meant to protect America. In “Bourne Ultimatum,” Jason Bourne still wants to know his past and he’s livid at those who turned him into killing machine.
Six months have passed since Jason Bourne warned CIA Director Pamela Landy (the elegant Joan Allen) to leave him alone. But since Jason is a dirty little secret for the CIA, her bosses will stop at nothing to eliminate this stain on their record. They send assets (a euphemism for CIA assassins) to kill him, and cloak their actions under the guise of protecting America from terrorism (how many times has a certain government hidden their own foibles and corruption by blanketing it with the Patriotism Act?). But Jason Bourne will not go quietly into the night. He turns the tables on his assassins and eventually on those responsible for his damaged psyche.
When “Bourne Supremacy” came out in 2004, I complained that director Paul Greengrass, cinematographer Oliver Wood and editor Christopher Rouse, in the name of action-suspense, conspired to give viewers a massive headache with wobbly, unfocused photography. Despite Greengrass’ recent Oscar nod for “United 93,” he and his crew continue to frustrate those without Advil by essentially showing off. In several action scenes, it’s impossible to see what’s happening. In an opening sequence, the camera focuses on a person, zooms in quick then goes out of focus. I assume this means to represent the fuzzy morality in the room, but the script clarifies that fine.
Though the camerawork is a large issue, so many other elements in “Bourne Ultimatum” are supreme. Screenwriters Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns and George Nolfi have taken a complicated, sprawling story and filled it with tense confrontations, tragic moments, and slick dialogue. Like the second film, there are several great moments when Bourne reveals he’s scored a point over his opponent, moments that for the defeated feels like being a victim of “Candid Camera.”
Damon has really grown into the role of Bourne. Now more resolved to his past, empathetic but ready to put his deeds to rest once he ties up loose ends, there’s a maturity to Bourne that shines through in Damon’s portrayal. Steely confident in a battle, but never smug, Bourne outsmarts his enemies by getting into their heads. You can see Damon always thinking, always strategizing.
Allen, who could have been slumming in this role, lends a majestic integrity as the one CIA agent not drooling for Bourne’s blood. It’s easy to see why her superiors feel threatened by this woman.
As the crafty CIA directors, Scott Glenn and David Strathairn demonstrate wolves in sheep’s clothing, psychopaths desperate to cover their tracks with governmental titles to hide behind.
A dynamic thriller with a tight story and smart acting, “Bourne Ultimatum” is undone by its shoddy camerawork and editing, including many scenes which appear to have been shot while sitting on a hoppity-hop. The craftsmen are not incompetent; they just misguidedly believe that for an action film to work, you have to punish an audience’s corneas. Grade: B+
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| Date Posted |
8/15/07 |
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