Ultimate Bourne

Movie Review

Bourne Ultimatum

Paul Greengrass

I have always liked the Bourne series, and this final iteration is probably the best one out of the three. The story picks up where the second movie left off. Bourne is on the quest of trying to find out who he really is and why he became who he is right now. Along the way, he saw an article in a newspaper with his name in it and an operation named 'Blackbriar'. Realizing that this sort of information could only come from a higher-up source, Bourne went out to find the reporter to find out where this information came from. Along the way, Bourne met with old allies and old dangers as well.

The movie moves along in an almost unrelentless pace, fast enough to move the action from one scene to another, but not too fast so that audience could keep up with the plot elements. The actions themselves are no let down, as they are so brutal they seem natural and unplanned. Amazing stunt work as well, which is to be expected out of the series. The actings are also great. Performances are delivered excellently and are nothing short of believable.

Another signature of the series is the shaking camera. To some, it might look confusing. But try to pay enough attention then you'll see that the camera focuses on information and action that the audience need in order to make sense of the plot and the overal storyline. The camera never stops moving from one scene to another, from one point of focus to another. This gives the movie its unrelenting pace and sense of urgency. This also create an illusion to a simple scene to make it looks as if there's a lot of things going on at the same time.

Another point worth mentioning is the music. The music also helps in charging up the intensity of the actions that it accompanies. It picks up tempo and volume during the hard-hitting actions, and never really slows down but lower its volume down a bit, but never too low so that the audience is reminded that another action scene is coming up. Some of the tunes are recycled from the previous series, but this isn't necessarily bad.

Great choreography, excellent (and a little bit dizzying) screenplay, great performances, and unforgiving action scenes that will keep you at the edge of your seat, this movie is one of the best that have come out so far this year and should not be missed especially by those who are action fans. Highly recommended.