The Bourne Ultimatum

Until 'The Bourne Identity' hit screens in 2000, the spy genre was in pretty sorry shape on the big screen. The James Bond franchise had long since become a parody of itself with an series of increasingly ridiculous installments, while Tom Cruise's 'Mission: Impossible' series had some cool moments but was still a hit-or-miss affair. It was really 'Identity' that ushered in a new era for the spy thriller -- one that was gritty, realistic and refreshingly free of gadgets and gimmicks.

The rare sequel to actually outgross its predecessor, 2003's 'The Bourne Supremacy' was so well-received that it created an unusual hunger for 'The Bourne Ultimatum,' which enjoyed an even better opening weekend. In terms of world-wide box office receipts, 'Ultimatum' now stands as the most successful of the 'Bourne' trilogy, which is rare cinematic feat indeed. This success is a testament not only to the series' highly-praised action sequences, but also the complexity of its story and the appeal of the Jason Bourne character. Bourne may not exactly be a new generation's James Bond, but he's certainly the closest modern cinema has seen to his heir apparent.

Viewers who are intimately familiar with the first two films in the series will likely get the most out of 'Ultimatum's convoluted narrative, but the film works well enough as a self-contained thrill ride even if you don't remember every single plot detail of the past two entries. As the movie begins, Bourne is inadvertantly drawn out of hiding by British investigative reporter Simon Ross (Paddy Considine), who has been trying to uncover the secrets of Project Treadstone, now upgraded to new operation called Blackbriar. During the meeting with Ross, Bourne's memories are triggered once again, and he renews his quest to solve the riddle of his mysterious background.

Of course, the CIA has been tracking his correspondence with Ross, and Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) is again back on the case. Only this time, she's got higher-ups (David Straithairn and Scott Glenn) breathing down her neck, and further complicating the government's pursuit is wayward operative Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), who will eventually risk her life and career to help Bourne. While racing across four continents, Bourne will not only have to use every trick in the book to elude capture, but must somehow make his way back to the States and into the inner-most sanctums of the CIA itself if he is to finally uncover the secret of his identity.

As directed by Paul Greengrass (who also helmed 'Bourne Supremacy'), 'Ultimatum' may be the most impressive of the 'Bourne' films in terms of elevating cinematic integration of exposition and action into an art form. This is pure information overload, but because the execution of the suspense sequences is so intense, we are held in a constant state of rapt attention. Watching 'Ultimatum,' the audience literally becomes Jason Bourne, and like him, we are constantly on alert for fear of missing a crucial bit of information integral to our survival. Slyly, Greengrass uses camerawork and editing as co-conspirators in this gleefully shameless manipulation, and the film simply never stops for a second to let us catch our breath. 'Ultimatum' truly relies on the intelligence of its audience, demanding that we pay attention -- even if we're left wrung out and exhausted by the end of the ride.

Admittedly, as fast-paced and consistently engaging as 'Ultimatum' is, there is a certain sense of deja vu that permeates many of the scenarios and setpieces. Case in point is the car chase, which is certainly as adrenaline-fueled as those in the previous 'Bourne' films, but doesn't really offering anything we haven't seen before (it certainly isn't central to the main plot). Likewise, our emotional engagement with the Bourne character can't quite stack up to earlier entries. Although Damon is certainly up to the task, the absence of his great love Marie (Franka Potente, seen here only briefly in flashback) often leaves the character only with cold detachment. The film does try to expand upon the relationship between Bourne and Parsons to add some heat, but the dewey-eyed Stiles doesn't have the same fire as Potente, and though I enjoyed her scenes, there is a distinct feeling of efficiency triumphing over emotion throughout much of 'Ultimatum.'

Still, 'Ultimatum' is quite satisfying because unlike so many other series of its type, it doesn't cheat us of the closure to the story and the character arcs set up in the first two films. Bourne does finally decipher all the clues to his past, and his case with the CIA is closed shut. Of course, the filmmakers have still left themselves just enough wiggle room to bring Bourne back for a series of new adventures some day, but I can't say I blame them. Like the end of the 007 flicks always say, "James Bond will return..." -- so why not Jason Bourne? But regardless of whether there ever are any future 'Bourne' films or not, 'Ultimatum' is a perfectly fitting capper on a truly superlative cinematic trilogy.