Reviewed by Stuart O'Connor
Stars Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Scott Glenn, David Strathairn,
Joan Allen, Paddy Considine, Albert Finney, Edgar Ramirez,
Tom Gallop, Corey Johnson, Daniel Brühl, Joey Ansah
Written by Tony Gilroy
UK certification 12 | UK RRP £19.99
DVD Region 2 | Runtime 111 minutes
Directed by Paul Greengrass
This year has been less than exciting on the film front, but that changed over summer with The Bourne Ultimatum — easily the biggest thrill ride of the year, the best of the Bourne trilogy and easily Matt Damon’s best film to date.
Now that it's on DVD, you'll need to install a seatbelt on your couch and strap yourself in for the wild ride ahead. Because this latest Bourne flick is just one long, non-stop chase — via car, foot, motorbike and rooftop. With the occasional explosive fight scene thrown in. That’s the entire plot right there in a nutshell. Jason Bourne (Damon) is out to find whoever wiped his memory and trained him to be a killing machine. Because although he's a killer, he's still got a conscience: "I can see the faces of everyone I ever killed. Somebody started this, and i'm gong to find them." His search takes him from Moscow to Paris to London to Madrid to Tangier to Turin (not necessarily in that order) and ultimately to New York and a final showdown with certain corrupt elements within the CIA.
But what a chase it is. From the outset, director Paul Greengrass (who needs to let the camera stay still occasionally) sets a cracking pace and barely lets his foot up off the accelerator for its almost 2-hour duration. The writing is sharp, and the supporting cast all deliver the goods. But as Jason Bourne (aka David Webb), this really is Matt Damon's film all the way. And what a terrific actor he is showing himself to be. Since he broke into the big time with pal Ben Affleck and their Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting, Damon has gone from strength to strength while Affleck's career has foundered. From Saving Private Ryan to Rounders, The Talented Mr Ripley, Ocean's 11, Syriana and The Departed, Damon has made some exceptional movie choices. Now the Bourne trilogy has put the stamp on his box-ffice worth and made him one of the world's most bankable stars. And with Bourne, Damon delivers a performance that is a joy to watch — he plays the character with a minimum of facial expressions or vocal inflections, a blank canvas onto which the audience can project its own emotions. Mind you, he's a blank canvas that can erupt into mind-numbing violence at the flick of an eye. Espionage thrillers don’t get any better than this, and The Bourne Ultimatum has set the standard by which future films of this genre will be judged.
EXTRAS *** A commentary from director Paul Greengrass, deleted scenes and five behind-the-scenes featurettes: Man on the Move; Rooftop Pursuit; Planning the Punches; Driving School; and New York Chase.