My Favorite Films: The Bourne Ultimatum

     In the final chapter of the Bourne Trilogy Jason Bourne completes his journey to rediscover his origins and confront those who made him into a living weapon.

     The Bourne Ultimatum has the best action in the series. This makes sense as its the most action driven. One scene, involving Bourne jumping over the rooftops only to finally crash trough a window and engage an assassin in a hand to hand fight is one of the most breathtaking and well executed set pieces I've ever seen in a movie. The hand-held camera work gives the action scenes a real visceral impact.

     If the first film had a somewhat meandering pace which suggested Bourne's own confusion and lack of identity and the second film had more deliberate pace which went along with Bourne's newfound confidence and sense of purpose, the pacing in this film is relentless, as Bourne gets ever closer to discovering where he came from.

     Ultimatum is also more informed than the previous two by 9/11 and the war on terror. It is revealed that Treadstone was part of a larger project called Black Brier which allowed the government to send in covert agents to carry out assassinations without any oversight or accountability. This is very reflective of the post 9/11 debates over government surveillance, water-boarding and the general ignoring of legal restraint in favor of security. While Supremacy was released after 9/11 (Identity was as well but finished it production before these issues started heating up) these themes were not as prevalent. The reason for this is that Ultimatum spends much more time exploring the world Bourne comes from.

     This film builds on the previous two and in some cases makes them more interesting in retrospect. It is revealed that Bourne (who's real name is David Webb) volunteered for Black Brier and underwent intense behavior modification which explains a lot of the identity loss explored in the first film. It is also revealed, in a wonderfully subtle scene, that Nicky Parsons, a minor character from the first two films, had a relationship of some kind with Bourne. Bourne is reluctant to open up to her because of what happened to Marie and they part ways much sooner. By the time the film ends Bourne has come full circle and can finally fully reject his old life of violence. After giving Pamela Landy information that will put the leaders of Black Brier in prison he tells an assassin who's life he spared earlier, "Look at us. Look at what they make you give" echoing the words of a different assassin he killed in Identity. The film closes as that filmed opened, with Bourne falling into the water, evoking baptism and symbolizing rebirth but this time instead of being fished out by someone else he swims away himself. He now knows he is is and has taken control of his own destiny.

     With solid performances across the board, particularly from Damon and returning co-stars Joan Allen and Julia Stiles, naturalistic direction from Greengrass, and a nuanced screenplay that smartly updates Ludlum's source material, The Bourne Ultimatum is the best of the Bourne films and my personal favorite.

The Bourne Supremacy (2004) Review

[WARNING: SPOILERS]
   

     
     The Bourne Supremacy was released to theaters in 2004. Paul Greengrass replaced Doug Liman as the director. In this film Jason Bourne is prompted out of hiding when he is implicated in the theft of classified information and an assassin is sent to kill him but kills Marie instead. Thinking Treadstone is behind the assassination Bourne sets out to bring them to justice. Meanwhile CIA Deputy director Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) investigates the robbery and tries to take down Bourne once and for all.

     Overall this film is less character driven then the first one. Maria's death early on in the film causes Bourne to seek vengeance and I think part of the reason that there is less character exploration here is that she is not around to interact with him. With that said Supremacy does build on Bourne's arc in the first film in a few important ways. For one thing he is no longer content to live out his life in obscurity and ignore his past. He now sets out to confront both his enemies and his inner demons. By the end of the film he also shows a certain impulse to atone for his past sins, which are expounded on in this movie.

     If the first film had somewhat problematic action scenes this one is much worse in that regard. While the car chase at the beginning and Bourne's escape from hotel in the middle of the film are fairly coherent his fight with Jarda and the chase at the end are pretty muddled and hard to follow. At the same time Supremacy feels more confident than Identity which is appropriate I suppose as Jason himself feels more confident and efficient than in the first outing. It has tighter pacing and doesn't stretch suspension of disbelief as much. It also has better intrigue with the addition of Pamela Landy, played with steely resolve by Joan Allen who butts head with Ward Abbott, Brian Cox's slimey, perpetually nervous Deputy Director returning from the first film. Finally Supremacy features the most emotionally resonant (and overall awesome) ending to any of the films in the series. Moby's Extreme Ways was never put to better use.

     Though, in my opinion, not quite as good as it's predecessor, Supremacy is still a solid sequel which expands upon the original and, in some ways, even improves upon it.

Score: 8.5/10

The Bourne Identity (2002) Review

Since Jason Bourne is coming out at the end of July I decided that I would rewatch and review the first three Bourne movies. I'll probably skip Legacy because really who cares...

[WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS]

     The Bourne Identity is directed by Doug Liman and was released in 2002. It tells the story of Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) who is rescued from near death by the crew of a fishing boat only to find that he has amnesia and can't remember who he is. Using information found on a laser projector sewn beneath his skin he sets out to discover who he really is with the help of Marie (Franka Potente), a young, wandering, German woman in need of some cash. Meanwhile the leader of Treadstone, the organization Bourne works for, misinterpreting his erratic behavior as desertion, tries to track him down and kill him.

     The film has a very down-to-earth realistic feel thanks both to Doug Liman's direction and the script, adapted from the novel by Robert Ludlum. Liman's prowling camera work imbues the film with a real sense of urgency making the viewer constantly on their toes the same way Bourne himself is. There is one scene in particular that really illustrates this feeling. Bourne and Maria arrive at his apartment and Bourne becomes tense as an unseen assassin prepares to kill him. This scene is intentionally awkward as Bourne isn't sure why he's worried and tries to hide his apprehension from Maria who's oblivious to what going on. Maria's character helps to ground both Bourne and the film in general. Neither she, the audience, or even Bourne himself really know who he is or what's going on and that opens the door for some really interesting character study.

     This film is rife with themes of identity loss both figurative and literal. Obviously Bourne does not know who he is and so has lost his identity in a literal sense. But in a figurative sense he lost his identity a long time ago when he joined Treadstone and became an assassin for them. His life up to this point has consisted of killing people for this organization. Everything in between has been some form of deception. Ultimately Bourne's quest to rediscover his identity is so difficult because he had no real life to begin with. Only by remembering the moment he when rejected his role as an assassin does he begin to really piece together who he was.

     Both Damon and Potente give strong, naturalistic performances while Brian Cox and Chris Cooper are, as usual, good villains, or perhaps anti-villains is a better description. John  Powell's score fits tone of the film perfectly and is used sparingly. Many of the action scenes are not accompanied by music relying instead on the rhythm of the editing and the ambient sound to drive them forward. With that said that action is limited at times by Liman's stodgy editing choices. While his use of "shaky cam" fits the tone of the film sometimes its just confusing for no reason. There are also some minor plot contrivances and certain scenes stretch credulity. For instance the first Treadstone assassin decides that the most effective way to kill Bourne is to smash through his apartment window firing a machine gun! There's also a bit of a bait and switch at the end which always takes me out of the film and is rather anti-climatic to boot. With that said, these flaws are easily overlooked.

     The Bourne Identity is one of the best action films of the last decade. It's exploration of the dehumanizing effects of espionage along with its down-to-earth tone and solid performances have made it stand the test of time.

Score: 9/10

Short Review - Warcraft

     I'm not sure what to say about this movie. Not being much of a gamer I've never played any of the Warcraft games and have only a passing familiarity with them. But because I'm a geek and want movies based on properties like this to succeed (something Hollywood has largely failed at so far) I went into this movie with a certain amount of good will, especially since it is being helmed by a respected director like Duncan Jones.

     So does the movie deliver? Well, overall it's a bit of a mixed bag. It has some decent performances. The battle scenes are really well done. The visuals are gorgeous and, to my limited knowledge, capture the look of the games really well. Unfortunately though, the characters are not very interesting. There are a few nice moments but the script is filled, mainly, with tiresome expository dialogue. Basically the movie is just alot of empty spectacle, and that's really a shame.

     Warcraft might not be the breakthrough for video game movies that alot of people were hoping for but it has enough exciting sequences and good visuals to be passable entertainment at least for fans of the sword and sorcery genre.

Score: 6/10

Independence Day (1996) Review

"And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on! We’re going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!"

     So says President Whitmore (Bill Pullman) in Roland Emmerich's Independence Day released 20 years ago today. I'm not going to claim that this movie is very deep or even very clever but the film does work, in retrospect, as an embodiment of what President George Bush Sr. called a "new world order", for all the good or ill that may portend. The idea behind this "new world order" was that the world's super-powers, lead by the United States, would cooperate internationally to protect human rights and ensure economic and political stability around the globe. What made people question this idea was the emergence of U.S. hegemony (dominance in world affairs) after the end of the Cold War. What Bush and his supporters saw as international collaboration others saw as American interventionism.

     In Independence Day the various nations around the world unite to face a common threat: annihilation from an alien race. Thus we see Bush's "new world order" in action. At the same time this is an example of U.S. hegemony as it's President Whitmore and the American military who take the lead in combating the aliens. The other military forces seem to just wait around for the U.S. to tell them what to do. Indeed we don't even see these nations beat the aliens. After President Whitmore and the American military takes down the ship over Area 51 General Grey (William Loggia) tells the radio operator to inform the other forces "how to bring those sons of bitches down". In other words these countries don't seem to have much agency on there own. In any case, regardless of political affiliation or where you may stand on the idea of U.S. hegemony and international cooperation, I think that this film is an interesting showcase of 90's optimism.

     Besides it's historical resonances Independence Day offers some pretty fun if also somewhat brain-dead entertainment. The script often resorts to cheap tricks and contrivances to move the plot forward and many of the characters feel more like archetypes than people. But the film never takes itself too seriously and the performances, particularly from Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum, are able to add some levity and humanity to what might otherwise be a mindless explosion fest. It's also nice that an African American (Smith's Captain Steven Hiller) and a nerdy Jewish guy (Goldblum's David Levinson) are the one's who save the day. The action is fun, the effects (mostly) hold up and David Arnold's score is appropriately stirring.

     Independence Day is a dated film but in many ways I feel that this is is greatest strength. If your looking for a dumb/fun 90's movie that also gives you a peak into the cultural milieu of the time you could certainly do worse.

Score: 8/10