The Bourne Ultimatum

Starring Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Brian Cox
Screenplay by Tony Gilroy and Scott Z. Burns
Based on the novel by Robert Ludlum
Directed by Paul Greengrass
website: www.bourne-ultimatum.com

IN SHORT: The End (unless it's not). [Rated PG-13 for violence and intense sequences of action. 111 minutes]

His girlfriend having been prematurely terminated from her walks on this mortal coil, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) comes a'seeking revenge. We figured that out from The Bourne Ultimatum, third in a sequence which began with The Bourne Identity and continued in The Bourne Supremacy. The Bourne Ultimatum supplies just enough of the back story that you don't have to go back to watch either of the preceding flicks, though most of our audience said they would. It delivers all the action that we complained about not seeing in The Bourne Identity and recaps what of The Bourne Supremacy you need to know. Other than that, the new film is three very long chases and, finally, the answer to all of Jason Bourne's questions about who he really is.

Despite what you may infer, we really do like Damon as Bourne. We're waiting for some smart director to sit and cut all six plus hours of the trilogy down into a watchable epic of four and a half or so hours because that is what, IOHO is what is necessary to make the Bourne trilogy kick serious butt. We also relax our rule about not having to know the Source Material once a film reaches its second sequel. If you're planting for this one, you probably know the earlier stuff. And if you haven't seen it, you should have no problem finding someone who did. Or who read one of Robert Ludlum's best selling novels. But if you're lazy . . .

Bourne is an killer for the CIA, an amnesiac who has rebelled against his programming and, as he gets closer to the truth, the proverbial Powers That Be really don't want him getting there. Without pointing fingers, said Powers include Noah Vosen (David Strathairn) a CIA top dog who runs the hunt for Bourne; Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) Bourne's former handler and their mutual superior Ezra Kramer (Scott Glenn). Suits you should also know include Dr. Albert Hirsch (Albert Finney) and Ward Abbott (Brian Cox) ... who first trained Bourne. Not needing a lot of introduction is, Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) another agent intro'ed in the last film, who aids our hero in his time of need. Well, she really has to but we're not spilling why. Like the previous films, there's really very little hard story filling out the film's various chases. That means buy the big popcorn and don't move very much. One chase this time out runs too darn long. One is tremendous.

Then again, the two may be parts of the same chase. Heck if we know.

While most of our audience walked out of a preview saying they would go back and watch The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy again, for the few that fall into the know noting category, bring someone to fill in the holes. You won't need much background.

There isn't much more to write, folks. There's really very little here to write about.

On average, a first run movie ticket will run you Ten Bucks. Were Cranky able to set his own price to The Bourne Ultimatum, he would have paid . . .

$4.00

The Bourne Ultimatum is a dateflick for us guys. There was a time when a hundred plus minutes of chase would have had us applauding, too. Those in our audience of the proper age, did just that.

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