THE BOURNE DOUBLE-TAKE BREAKDOWN REVIEW: “The Bourne Ultimatum” stars Matt Damon (The Monuments Men, Elysium), Julia Stiles (Silver Linings Playbook, 10 Things I Hate About You), David Strathairn (Lincoln, L.A. Confidential), Joan Allen (Pleasantville, Face/Off), Albert Finney (Big Fish, Skyfall), Paddy Considine (Cinderella Man, In America), Scott Glenn (The Silence of the Lambs, Training Day), Tom Gallop (A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Jerry Maguire), Joey Ansah (Snow White and the Huntsman, Attack the Block), and Édgar Ramirez (Wrath of the Titans, Vantage Point). It is directed by Paul Greengrass (Green Zone, Captain Phillips). In this final chapter of the Jason Bourne (Damon) saga, we find Bourne recovering from the events of the previous movie only to see that he still isn’t done running. When a journalist gains information on Treadstone that could be a lead to Bourne’s past, Bourne is keen on finding him. But it isn’t going to be easy because it turns out that the CIA is also looking for this journalist after hearing the code word Operation Blackbriar. Once Bourne reaches the journalist, the CIA believes that he is connected to him and want to take him in. Back on the run, Bourne must figure out his beginnings in Treadstone before the CIA catches up to him in this epic, final hunt.

“You really don’t remember, do you?” A line that is repeated more than once in this film, I am still surprised that by the third movie Jason Bourne doesn’t know his past. But don’t let that observation fool you, this movie was great. With a plot that is pretty much an archetype of all the movies before it, it still manages to entertain me and deliver great tension to this action-packed franchise. Sadly, this is the last installment of the Jason Bourne era (there is one movie left in this marathon) and I will miss the character well for he was truly a realistic figure. Speaking of the character, let’s get down and dirty into the true depth of this movie. The acting was really good, with solid performances from most of the cast, and Matt Damon exceeding them all again. I must say that Matt Damon is an incredible actor and in all the movies he is in, he always gives a fantastic performance, understanding the characters he portrays. With that said onto the characters. Other than Jason Bourne, there really isn’t much to talk about with the other characters because you never get too much build-up from them. They still give a good purpose though. Anyway, Jason Bourne has a lot more development in this film unlike the last one, with him discovering even more about himself. He is still the gritty character from the last movie, but he is more than just a figure. The writers improve with connecting you to his character in this film, even though it may be a discovery that you wouldn’t like. It just adds to the realism factor I talked about earlier with these movies. Once again the locations are fantastic in this film just like the rest and the cinematography doesn’t fall short. The shaky camera is still present in this film, but the good thing that it has improved. The camera work was fantastic. Even though it was fast in cuts, I was still able to figure out what was going on instead of being confused and I applaud the cameramen and the director for that. It really brought tension to the story and gave you a sense of a time crunch that the characters had to go through. Included with the camera work is the action scenes, which were superb. From the close-up fights to the chases it was awesome. To me they were the best parts of the film, only a smidgen past the realization of Jason Bourne’s beginning. Since this is the last movie with Matt Damon, I will talk about the ending. Usually I don’t talk about a movie’s ending unless it is crappy or is fantastic, but this will be an exception. You can take the ending either way. I thought it was going to go a darker direction and with a cliché execution, it disappointed me. It was an okay ending overall, with them leaving it open for a sequel when need be (although Matt Damon didn’t come back for the next one). But that’s what I thought, you could have a different opinion, obviously. When it comes to issues, besides the ending giving me mixed feelings, I only have one. That one is what I brought up before: it has the same archetype of all the ones before it. Jason Bourne is hunted by the CIA and the villains are apart of the organization. Plus there is at least one car chase. It doesn’t bother me too much because it’s entertaining nonetheless, but there was one scene that made me mad. The scene involved Bourne fighting someone in hand-to-hand combat. The execution (killing) was exactly like one in the last movie. It drove me crazy because there must be more ways to kill someone in a film! Overall, this film was a great sign-off, exceeding my expectations. It’s a fun and deep film that I’m sure anyone will enjoy unless they hate action or Matt Damon (I mean, who would!?). I recommend anyone to watch it! FINAL SCORE: 94%= Juicy Popcorn

Here is the trailer: