Before the first of these movies came I was hesitant about Matt Damon stepping in to play Jason Bourne because from the books it seemed like Bourne was much older and world wearied. I always envisioned someone like Bruce Willis playing the character but now as the trilogy comes to a close, I cannot imagine anyone else taking on the role. That is just how good Matt Damon has been in the role. He brings a quiet kind of self torture to the role that really brings Jason Bourne to life. However, if you are like me and research movies you would never think this could be a good movie at all- They started without a finished script, it had an unusually long shoot (140 days!) and Matt Damon was always described as looking too exhausted. The movie was being released later than the other two which usually symbolizes a lack of confidence by the studio and in a sea of trilogies- Pirates, Spiderman, Shrek, Ocean's and Rush Hour- would it start to fill like a trilogy overload? When it is all said and done though, this movie rocks about as hard as a movie can.
This movie picks up right where The Bourne Supremacy leaves off. I mean right where it left off, with Bourne limping through the streets being chased by cops after his tremendous car chase. It quickly picks up 6 weeks later and we are led to believe that the thing is over. Bourne has been off the grid for 6 weeks and things seem to be settling down, yet a nosy London reporter finds out some inside information and starts posting stories on Jason Bourne and something called "Blackbriar." Bourne sees this as a chance to finally figure out who he is and gets in touch with the reporter. The rest of the movie is a big chase as Bourne searches for answers it becomes more and more clear that he is a bad man, but that he had to be broken down to be such a bad man. We see glimpses of the C.I.A breaking him down through a series of intense looking flashbacks involving Bourne having his head held under water. Back for this movie are C.I.A official Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) and Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles)and newcomers here include C.I.A big wig Noah Vosen (David Strathairn". Vosen is the new man trying to get Bourne killed under the guise of him being a threat to the C.I.A. Landy is slowly realizing things aren't as they seem and is lured into the chase herself.
Director Paul Greengrass has a very distinct style that turns some people off because he uses mostly handheld shaky cameras and it can cause some dizziness and can be a bit off putting, but like in the second Bourne movie, he weaves his shaky camera to perfection through each chase and each fight. The up close shaky nature puts us right in the action, so it feel like we not viewing it but we are experiencing it. Each chase scene, slow and fast are vividly captured and with the camera work don't seem overly choreographed; they just seem like they are happening. There is a scene where the reporter and Bourne are caught in a train station and Bourne is telling the reporter via cell phone how to avoid the cameras and the operatives in the station that is just breathtaking. We watch this reporter duck, weave and bob as he just trusts Bourne and we are on the edge of our seat as we wonder what would happen if this reporter even veers off the path for even a second. Each chase is perfectly crafted and the music, the edits and the in your face camera just make each scene drip with intensity. Add to that Matt Damon's incredible portrayal in each scene as Bourne gets increasingly more tired, exhausted, annoyed and worried, and you get one brilliantly tight action movie.
In keeping in line with the other movies this movie features 2 or 3 fights where Bourne gets 3 or 4 opponents and 1 fight with another "asset" just like him. Also famous in these movies are the car chases. Where the first two movies had things that were awesome and long, it felt a bit choreographed. In this movie, the fight between Bourne and the asset is brutally raw. The camera catches each fist thrown and we hear every time the fist connects with skin. Bourne uses a book to try and choke the other guy and both people use anything they can find to throw and hit each other with. It creates a very real looking fight and a very brutal moment, ending in a severe choke out that allows you to see where Jason Bourne has gone. The Bourne Identity has one of the best car chase scenes ever, but it was topped in the second movie by the brilliantly over the top nearly climatic car chase and Greengrass would have been foolish to try and up the ante here. Luckily he does the opposite, he pulls it back. Instead of a big car chase we get a short, loud, hurtful car chase. Bourne has stolen a cop car and instead of a long car chase where he dodges car after car, this one lasts maybe a minute and Bourne is just ramming his cop car into everything until he gets connected with another car one one incredible flip and explosion happens. Like the fights, the raw realness of it gives this movie a decidedly low tech feel and makes you really understand what Jason Bourne is going through.
The ending of this movie is perfect. It is the perfect closing chapter to an amazing trilogy. It is best to view these movies in order and it is necessary to view the first one before this one because they make more sense in a linear fashion. Matt Damon has become Jason Bourne in the way Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones. He has created an iconic screen persona and if the opening box office receipts are any indication, he has placed himself in the upper eschelon of action stars. These movies ushered in a new wave of action recently seen in movies like Casino Royale and Shooter. Where the Matrix went ushered in an era of flying type fighting, this trilogy was hoping to bring the action back to the ground and make you feel something other than "Damn, that was cool." As far as the summer of 3s go, this one is truly top notch and after thinking on it for two days I will even be so bold as to say I enjoyed this more than I enjoyed Spiderman 3. Yes, I said it.
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