The Bourne Ultimatum (2007): A realistic, intelligent, well-crafted, intensely paced, action-packed spy film! The best installment in the Bourne franchise and one of the greatest action films ever made.

The Bourne Ultimatum continues the story arc (established in The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy) of former CIA assassin Jason Bourne trying to discover the truth about his past while trying to avoid lethal CIA forces pursuing him. The Bourne Identity did a great job of introducing the character of Jason Bourne to audiences through his amnesiac but intelligent personality who was trying to find out about his past, but also trying to find a new life. The Bourne Supremacy is a good mystery-thriller that shows the further consequences Bourne had to deal with as he is forced out of solitude after being framed in a CIA conspiracy. The Bourne Ultimatum is a straight up, non-stop action thrill ride from beginning to end, showing Bourne's relentless journey for the truth. 

The movie starts off after the second-to-last scene of Supremacy and from then on, there is barely a moment to catch a breath. One of my favorite things about this movie (and the previous films) is how intelligent Bourne is shown to be. He has to improvise with whatever skills he has learned at the CIA, along with turning any common tool he can find (a pen, towel, book, magazine, etc) into a deadly weapon. He constantly has to stay one step ahead ahead of his opponents, who are as relentless as he is, in order to stay alive. A lot of this is due to the clever writing, realism, and continuous pace the filmmakers have crafted within the trilogy. 

Bourne hiding from Desh in during the Tangiers setpiece.

The film jumps from various locations (from Moscow to London to Tangiers to New York) to keep the plot moving, which proves effective as the film progresses. The interactions that Bourne has with certain characters (namely ones from the previous films) are very convincing since the audience gets to learn more about the characters' motivations along with Bourne's character development throughout the trilogy. This is where the acting comes in (a factor that not a lot of people take note of). Matt Damon gives perhaps his most nuanced and grounded performance as Bourne. He's able to find a balance between savagery as an assassin + humanity as a confused individual.

I also liked the hand-held camerawork + cinematography that went into the action setpieces. Usually in most action films, shaky-cam is used as a lazy gimmick to increase the tension of a scene. However in Ultimatum, the shaky cam is precisely used to craft each frame of the action, requiring the viewer to pay close attention so that no frame is wasted. 

Bourne giving instructions in the Waterloo sequcnce.

Like the previous Bourne films, the action is gritty, realistic, and well choreographed. There is a really intense scene where Bourne is trying to help a reporter (who has crucial information) evade CIA assassins in the overcrowded London Waterloo Station by giving precise directions on a cellphone.

A shot of Bourne running in the Tangiers rooftop chase.

This is followed by an even more incredible setpiece in Tangiers (my favorite scene in the film) where Bourne has to chase an assassin who is going after Bourne's ally. This scene starts as a motorcycle chase, turns into an intense foot-chase, turns into a captivating rooftop chase, continues as a chase through buildings and windows, and culminates in arguably the greatest + most brutal hand-to-hand fight scene I've ever witnessed in a movie. The final setpiece is an extreme car chase in New York involving Bourne driving a broken vehicle to get to a hospital. 

The iconic "money shot" of Bourne floating in the water.

Lastly, there is a nice dramatic factor that plays into the film and Bourne's character. If you've seen Identity + Supremacy, you can see that he has gone through some terrible events at the unjust hands of the CIA. With this movie being a conclusion to the trilogy, the dramatic weight of Bourne reaching his goal is exponential. The drama doesn't feel forced because at this point in the trilogy, the audience is rooting for Bourne to find out his identity along with connecting with the supporting characters trying to help him.

In the end, The Bourne Ultimatum is a subversive, well-paced spy film with a great performance from Matt Damon, intense action scenes, along with an awesome musical score by John Powell. It's a perfect conclusion to a great trilogy (where each installment improves upon the previous). If you haven't seen this movie or the previous Bourne films, I highly recommend it :)  My Rating: 5/5 stars