After years of running, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) comes home to confront the men who stole his past and made him a killer.

CRITIQUE

Unlike many people, I’m not sure I’d call The Bourne Ultimatum the best of the series. It’s definitely better than Identity (which is a great film; Doug Liman is no slouch as a director, but Paul Greengrass is even less of a slouch), but the improvements Supremacy makes over its immediate predecessor are somewhat tempered by a mild feeling of déjà vu (we’ll get to that in a second).

But saying this film is only as good as Supremacy seems to me like a pretty good compliment, as Identity is one of the best action-thrillers of the past several decades, and undoubtedly the best of this decade. After all, when you’ve set the bar that high, only managing to reach the same heights is nothing to get upset about.

This film picks up immediately after the events of Supremacy, with Bourne walking away from his confrontation with the Moscow police. Bourne isn’t even afforded a chance to go back underground, as his identity and exploits are soon plastered all over the news. Greengrass and his writers (including series veteran Tony Gilroy, who wrote the first drafts before leaving for Michael Clayton; the revisions were handled by George Nolfi and Scott Z. Burns) once again combine the world of high-tech espionage and black ops with the more mundane happenings of everyday human existence, which was the perfect way to go with this series.

I know some fans of Robert Ludlum’s bestsellers have balked at the decision to chuck most of the source material (given the quality of said source material, I won’t complain), but these films were released during a time where the notion of spies and assassins who exist only in the shadows is beyond quaint. Wetwork without civilian knowledge (or casualties) is about as believable as rich old white guys who sit in their undersea lairs and hijack submarines. Heck, even the Bond people, who made a fortune concocting plots about rich old white guys doing just that sort of thing, have finally realized this. You think Casino Royale would have been as tough and gritty had the Bourne flicks not made such a splash? Not a chance.

One of the hallmarks of these films has been the blending of more realistic (to a degree, anyway) spy trappings with truly eye-popping action, and Ultimatum is no exception. The finale features a spectacular car chase through the streets of New York, and there’s an equally stunning motorcycle jaunt through Morocco. Even better is the rooftop chase that follows the motorcycle sequence, which, if you can believe it, is itself topped by one of the best sequences of hand-to-hand combat ever committed to film. Greengrass’s technique (which I wouldn’t dream of revealing) renders the scene exciting, brutal, and sickening all at the same time.

A couple of deceptively small moments really stood out for me here. One involves a mistake made by Bourne, which is something we’re not used to seeing. At this point there was a small danger of his becoming a cartoonish superman (you eventually have to start wondering how long he can keep pulling all of this off), but this moment serves to bring him down to a believable, vulnerable level, and it also provides something of a turning point, as an resulting action he commits soon after brings about the final act of his story.

The other moment comes near the end of the film, and it involves a decision of inaction on Bourne’s part, a decision that further humanizes him and makes his actions during the final confrontation that much more logical. There have been similar moments sprinkled all throughout these films, but I think this one in particular demonstrates the attention to character that, among its other strengths, helps set this series apart.                 

Now for the minor quibbles I have with the film. First off, it’s obvious Greengrass and Damon were intent on topping themselves here, which in itself isn’t a bad thing, but it seems that in doing so they simply recycled some elements and events from the earlier entries. I know there’s no reason to fix something that ain’t broke, but I couldn’t help but feel an air of familiarity.

In fact, I’d say the action here tops that of Supremacy (and certainly that of Identity), but I’d also say the filmmakers decided to outdo themselves not by offering something we haven’t seen, but rather by revisiting what’s come before and ratcheting it up several notches. And while I wouldn’t say this really affected my enjoyment of the film at all, the thought nevertheless crept into my mind.

Secondly, and this also stems from a sense of familiarity, there’s the climax. Without giving anything away, let’s just say that it plays out exactly like the endings of similar tales. I agree with the intent of the scene (some people may prefer a bang over a whimper, but the way Bourne finally deals with his superiors is the way one should deal with zealots), but in this case absolutely nothing new is brought to the table, and the cookie-cutter approach is out of step with the rest of the film. (The finale is also a bit protracted, which really kills the pacing, and pacing is one of this series’ strengths.)

THE VIDEO

The 2.40:/1080p transfer isn’t quite perfect, but this stems more from the original photography than any telecined issues. With the exception of the Morocco sequence, colors are heavily desaturated, resulting in a palette dominated by blues and grays, and these cold hues are perfectly represented. Blacks are solid throughout.

Furthermore, contrast has been dialed up a bit, which results in a very small amount of flatness in some of the darker scenes, but it’s really a very minor flaw. The level of detail is often striking, and there’s a consistently three-dimensional, film-like quality to the image. And despite the combination of gritty cinematography and Super 35 film, the grain structure remains consistent throughout.

THE AUDIO

The film’s sound design balances realism with action/thriller expectations, a mix that’s perfectly handled by the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track. You’ll still hear the sheering metal and feel the booms and crunches during the car chases (Greengrass and his colleagues once again put you dead center in the middle of the action), but the audio is never pushed to a cartoonish extreme.

Specifically, gunshots and punches have depth and impact, but they have a more natural quality than the cannon-esque effects of most blockbuster action flicks. Dialogue is expertly prioritized in the mix, never becoming overwhelmed by the other elements. It’s a completely immersive, consistently impressive track. English and French Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 tracks are also included. English SDH and French subtitles are available.

THE EXTRAS

The HD DVD releases of the first two films in this series contained some great HD-exclusive extras. The bonus material on this disc, much of which was created with the next-gen format in mind, manages to be even better.  

The commentary by Paul Greengrass balances a technical discussion with the director’s thoughts on the story and characters. Greengrass also offers candid comments regarding the film’s hectic postproduction schedule, which included a number of rewrites and reshoots (something that’s plagued every film in the series).   

Several deleted scenes (12 minutes) are also included. These are primarily scene extensions, offering longer looks at the investigative hearing near the finale and the closed-door workings inside the CIA’s New York offices. 

Man on the Move: Jason Bourne (25 minutes) is a making-of featurette that mixes on-set footage from the various around-the-globe locations with cast and crew interviews.

Rooftop Pursuit (6 minutes) offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Morocco roof chase.

Planning the Punches (5 minutes) looks at staging of the scene that immediately follows the Morocco chase. 

Driving School (4 minutes) offers a look at the driving team responsible for pulling off the climactic New York car chase.

New York Chase (11 minutes) breaks down the planning and execution of the aforementioned climatic New York car chase.

High-Def Exclusives:

The Picture-in-Picture feature plays concurrently with the film, providing a wealth of excellent interviews and informative behind-the-scenes footage, succinctly covering the various aspects of the production.  

The Blackbriar Files option also runs concurrently with the film, offering text, video and photo information on the story’s weapons and spy technology, as well as character dossiers.  

The Be Bourne Spy Training Aptitude Test is an underwhelming interactive game that quizzes you on certain scenes and then supplies your score at the film’s end.

The disc’s web content, at this point anyway, is just an extended commercial for one of the vehicles prominently featured in the film.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The action series of the new millennium comes to a spectacular conclusion, and this release completes a trio of fantastic high-def issues from Universal. This one’s a must.