The Bourne Ultimatum is a 2007 American spy film directed by Paul Greengrass and loosely based on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same title. This film is the third in the Bourne film series, being preceded by The Bourne Identity (2002) and The Bourne Supremacy (2004). The fourth movie, The Bourne Legacy, is scheduled for release in July 2012.

Matt Damon reprises his role as Ludlum's signature character, former CIA assassin and psychogenic amnesiac Jason Bourne. The film picks up the storyline from the previous film, and continues Bourne's saga after he escapes from authorities in Moscow. The script was written by Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns, George Nolfi and an uncredited Tom Stoppard. The producers were Frank Marshall, Pat Crowley and Paul L. Sandberg.

The Bourne Ultimatum was produced by Universal Pictures and was released on August 3, 2007, in North America, where it grossed $69.3 million in ticket sales in its first weekend of release, making it the highest August opening in the U.S. and Matt Damon's highest grossing film with him in the lead. Although all three films have been commercially successful and critically acclaimed, The Bourne Ultimatum is the only film in the trilogy to have been nominated for any Academy Award, winning all three of its nominations for Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and Best Sound Editing at the 80th Academy Awards.

Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass insist The Bourne Ultimatum's the end of the series following amnesia-suffering Jason Bourne. This is reflected in the film itself as it delves into the rogue assassin's past, including the behavior modification and training he underwent upon admission to Treadstone, a top secret CIA operation.

The series ends with a bang in regards to action and suspense. Through extensive use of hand-held cameras and rapid-fire editing, the viewer is placed inside the action as Bourne, his allies, and his pursuers crisscross the globe engaging in car chases, hand-to-hand combat, and shootouts. I can't remember the last time action was this fast, fierce, and furious, or staged in such inventive and realistic ways. I was especially blown away by a three-person cat-and-mouse game played out through the streets and over the rooftops of the Moroccan city of Tangier. This extended action sequence ends with a bone-crunching fistfight in an apartment, not much of which is left undamaged at the end.

The action may be the focal point, but the plot more than satisfies as well. The aforementioned revelations involving Bourne's past and true identity are satisfying and compelling, and I appreciated the way they were doled out during the chasing and fighting. Most films of this genre pause the action and disregard the forward momentum for dull scenes of exposition; this doesn't. The metal-crunching and body-bruising go hand-in-hand with the storytelling.

Matt Damon slips into his signature role with ease. By this point, he's perfected his portrayal of Jason Bourne, a clever and driven individual who's haunted by his use as a blunt instrument by the CIA. Also returning are Joan Allen (as business-minded but sympathetic CIA mandarin Pamela Landy) and Julia Stiles (as conflicted Treadstone operative Nicolette Parsons). Stiles is especially good in an expanded role. It's hinted her character may've shared a past romance with Bourne, which he, of course, doesn't remember. New to the cast is David Strathairn (known for his recent Oscar-nominated portrayal of CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow in George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck.), who oozes unpleasantness as a corrupt CIA official behind a new assassin-training operation.

If this is indeed the end of the Bourne trilogy, I'm sad to see it go. It has brought a new level of intelligence and creativity to its genre (James Bond, eat your heart out) and found a place on my list of all-time favorite movies. But I am also glad it hasn't fizzled out or been run into the ground. Each successive entry has been superior to its predecessor. This is a masterful note on which to end a masterful trilogy.

To use a very old critical saying... if you see one movie this year, see The Bourne Ultimatum.

A+ ... 10/10 ... ****/****

IMO, there's one way Supremacy's superior to Ultimatum: as cool as Ultimatum's Manhattan-set car chase was, I prefer the Moscow chase in Supremacy.

Is this movie worth seeing if you don't like dumb action movies (hated Live Free or Die Hard) and haven't seen the first two?

'Guillermo in The Bourne Ultimatum' comedy skit.

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I'm going to get ripped apart. Take it easy though, it's my first review.

http://www.worldofkj.com/articleIndex.php?tid=30661" target="_blank

I'm going to get ripped apart. Take it easy though, it's my first review.