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.