Jason Doesn’t Know
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007): 7 out of 10: Very solid direct follow-up to 2004’s The Bourne Supremacy. Starting minutes after the last one ended, we find Bourne wandering around Moscow post supermodel confession. While the movie spends a little too much time there, we thankfully head out, and the actual plot can begin.
The basic plot of the movie is Jason Bourne finding out who he really is and how he ended up as Jason Bourne. The reveal gets points for being realistic and accurate and loses points for being boring and bloody obvious. We also continue the (friendship, romance, kidnapping,) between Matt Damon and Julia Stiles. apparently there was a hot and heavy romance between the two before Bourne lost his memory. This would have been a fascinating theme to investigate. Kind of a “50 First Dates” but with spies.
All the qualities that made the first two films are here in spades, and there are some excellent set pieces and acting. Much like The Bourne Supremacy however, though I enjoyed the movie, I really don’t see myself watching it again.
The Good
The Good: The Bourne Ultimatum closes out the original trilogy with a level of maturity and polish you rarely see in modern action films. It’s a surprisingly adult for a movie about a guy who’s spent three films running from his own resume.
The action remains grounded, practical, and refreshingly free of comic-book physics. Yes, there’s a moment where Bourne hops a motorcycle off a sidewalk that stretches credulity, but compared to today’s superhero standard, that’s practically vérité. The movie’s office-politics subplot adds a quiet layer of intrigue that feels right at home in this cynical, fluorescent world of mid-level CIA backstabbers.
And then there’s the realism: actual locations, proper companies, even a journalist from The Guardian as a major character. It’s a decision that feels both bold and darkly ironic given his fate. I really wonder why more movies don’t use proper companies and people in them more?
The production doesn’t hide behind green screens or studio facades; it shows us recognizable office towers and actual New York addresses, grounding the film’s fantasy in a tangible world.
The Bad
The Bad: Julia Stiles spends the entire film as if she were a goldfish wearing a human costume. She’s been with the series since the start, and while the film earns points for having her act like a trained CIA officer rather than a damsel, there’s something missing behind the eyes.
I can understand why they did not emphasise her relationship with Bourne. The emotional core never quite connects, and the actress struggles to eat a diner breakfast realistically.
As I stated above, The Bourne Ultimatum begins by cleaning up leftover plot threads in Russia, and I continue to find those scenes dull and unnecessary. The snowy gloom and bureaucratic hangovers add nothing of note. Once we’re out of Moscow, though, things pick up nicely.
The Ugly
The Ugly: The Bourne Ultimatum continues the weird fetish of Bourne hooking up with girl, going on the run, and making her change her hair to a dark pixie cut. It is especially notable since at no time in any of the three films does superspy Jason Bourne make any attempt to disguise himself. He doesn’t even change his outfit or wear a hat. Just walking around under surveillance cameras looking all Matt Damon for the world to see.
As for the story’s ultimate revelation. (SPOILER ALERT) that Bourne volunteered for his own transformation. It’s barely a twist.. It makes thematic sense. But that reveal, like the Moscow scenes, could have been a title card or an in-film email.
Conclusion
In Conclusion: The Bourne Ultimatum may not be dazzling, but it’s solid. There are a lot of well-done set pieces here. It is a serious, grown-up spy thriller in a genre that’s mostly forgotten how to behave like an adult. It ends exactly where it should, without padding, without self-importance, and without a viable human love interest.
Matt Damon remains the franchise’s quiet secret weapon. He is entirely believable as a man haunted by what he’s done and what he can’t remember. He sells the realism. Damon’s performance, while not to the level of his turn as William in The Great Wall, is still very solid.
In the end, Ultimatum is a professional piece of filmmaking that delivers precisely what it promises: efficiency, intelligence, and the satisfying hum of competence. Not a masterpiece, not a disaster. It’s just a clean kill.
