DVD Review: The Bourne Ultimatum

Name a trilogy with no weak link: OK, Star Wars, sure. Lord of the Rings, obviously. Back to the Future? Sure, I dig the third one too. But as the years go by I really hope that Universal's Bourne trilogy achieves that sort of shelf life, because after the last several hours rediscovering the movies, I'm convinced it's one of the best trilogies ever made. The first (The Bourne Identity) was damn good, the second one (The Bourne Supremacy) was even better, and this third one (The Bourne Ultimatum) is now my favorite of the bunch!

Here's some thoughts from my theatrical release review:

Keeping things brief and spoiler-free, here's the plot: We pick up mere seconds after the conclusion of Supremacy, and if you thought the treachery ended with the demise of Ward Abbott (Brian Cox), then you probably haven't seen that many spy movies. Bourne's latest pursuer is CIA Deputy Director Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), who gives chase once Bourne is located trying to give a sympathetic reporter some crucial information. From there it's another supremely satisfying series of chases, escapes, brawls and betrayals. (And of course the filmmakers were smart enough to find something interesting for series regulars Joan Allen and Julia Stiles to do. Both women are quite excellent here.) For his part, Strathairn is as great as always, here displaying a Dustin Hoffman-ish weasel in authority. Other newcomers to the series (Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez, Scott Glenn, Albert Finney) add a lot to the mix, but I don't want to give too much away here...

And here's the very best part: Because the viewer actually cares about Jason Bourne's plight -- and, like him, we desperately crave some big answers -- the action moments feel like natural extensions of the story, and not a collection of stand-alone set-pieces that were simply constructed and then wedged into the plot wherever they'd fit. Dang, it feels good to breeze along with an extended action scene and actually not know where it's headed. The Bourne series has already shown that it doesn't always play by the rules (you'll no doubt recall the fate of Franka Potente's character in part 2), and that adds just another layer of flavor to the mayhem: some of the characters you like ... actually could die!

Boasting more smarts, slickness, subtlety and character than all of this summer's action offerings combined, The Bourne Ultimatum (like its predecessors) is somewhat of an anomaly in today's multiplex world. (The whole series feels like it fell out of John Frankenheimer's pocket around 1972 if you ask me -- and I mean that as a very large compliment.) The flick builds upon the foundation of its excellent predecessors and then ups the ante at every turn. I was concerned that the third movie wouldn't stand up to the first two. Never did I actually expect that Ultimatum would be the best of the lot. Not only that, it's probably the best Hollywood movie of the whole damn year. (The full theatrical review is available right here.)

... and after a second screening of the flick, I'm sure it'll find a spot in my year-end Top Ten list. The Bourne films might be little more than slick escapism, but they're made so damn well, and with such an obvious attention for things like character, pacing and intensity, I actually feel grateful to the producers for putting forth the extra effort. Fortunately for all, the trilogy was a huge success -- and I really hope they just leave well enough alone and let the three-part story remain untainted by prequels, sequels or spinoffs -- although the upcoming video game does look pretty cool!

And my Bourne DVD trilogy is now complete! The flick is presented in a very fine widescreen anamorphic (2.40:1) format, with audio delivered in Dobly Digital 5.1 (English, Spanish or French). Optional subtitles are available in the same three languages. The extras bin is fairly well-stocked, too:

• Just over 12 minutes of deleted scenes, some of which are more extensions than new stuff, but there is an interesting little subplot about Pamela Landy losing her job.
• Next up is a very cool 24-minute block of on location featurettes called Man on the Move: Jason Bourne. We get a little taste of what it was like shooting the big set pieces in Berlin, Paris, London, Madrid and Tangier. Good stuff here.
• The 5.5-minute Rooftop Pursuit piece covers the (yep) rooftop chase in Tangier, up to and including the rather awesome shot of Bourne leaping from rooftop to (closed) window.
• Planning the Punches runs 5 minutes and focuses on the fantastic brawl between Jason Bourne and the dangerous Desh (as played by Joey Ansah).
• Driving School is 3+ minutes of Damon having a good time on a Bayonne, New Jersey, driving course.
• The last featurette is an 11-minute piece that covers the big finale: the New York Chase.
• And for the hardcore Bourne-o-philes, we also have a feature-length audio commentary with the very personable Paul Greengrass. The director delivers facts, details and anecdotes, and displays no trouble in filling a commentary on his own.

There's always room for mindless action films, of course, but I prefer the stuff with at least half a brain to go along with all the artful mayhem. The Bourne Ultimatum delivers everything I want in a spy thriller, and it does so with a lot of intensity, craftiness and forward momentum. I may watch the thing again right now...