As we head towards the end of the so-called summer of the threequels, the summer blockbusters have ranged from the downright disappointing (Shrek the Third, Spiderman, Pirates) to the entertainingly better than they should be (Transformers, Die Hard) to the actually quite good (Harry Potter, Oceans Thirteen). What there hasn't been so far is a really great film. Can Matt Damon and co deliver? The answer is a resounding YES! Bourne is a tense, gripping and very well executed action thriller, with some stunning set pieces.
Gone is any real link to the source novel except the title (I'd have to see it again to be sure, but I'm not sure they actually managed to fit in an ultimatum anywhere along the line), but that doesn't matter. Added to the mix are the excellent David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck) as a creepy CIA chief and Albert Finney as the scientist responsible for the programme which created Bourne, along with Paddy Considine as the journalist trying to put it all together.
The plot, slightly simpler than last time round, but no less intelligent follows Jason finally putting together the missing pieces of his past and bringing it all back home. They use the bold tactic of taking the final scene of Supremacy and placing it half way through this film, using the first half to show how we got there and to see it in a completely different way.
Since Supremacy, director Paul Greengrass has confirmed his reputation with United 93. He maintains the same visual style here as he did in Supremacy with a slightly grainy look and a jerky, hand-held feel to some of the action sequences. So, this doesn't look like a big blockbuster, but when it hits full gear it is absolutely stunning, as in the cat and mouse games through Waterloo station or the stunning chase through the backstreets of Tangier. In fact, these sequences are so good, that the final chase through New York is almost a let-down, but the interplay between Damon and Strathairn more than makes up for this. The tension is ratchetted up in these sequences by the feeling that this is a franchise that isn't afraid to bump off some of its main players and at least one character makes an unexpectedly ealy exit.
As is fitting for both character and actor, Damon's performance as Bourne is subtle and un-showy. In fact Damon is an unusual a-lister who can walk through a crowded train station without attracting a crowd of on-lookers (the Waterloo sequence was shot with long lenses and Damon and Considine mingling with genuine commuter crowds). One advantage of the restraint of Damon's performance is that the movie doesn't flag when he's off-screen. In fact, the manoeuvrings of rival CIA chiefs Strathairn and Joan Allen (returning as Pamela Landy, the good side of the CIA) is just as enthralling.
They even manage to get in some contemporary references to rendition without it being too grating.
This is a thoroughly well-done in all aspects - if you only see one blockbuster this summer it should be this one! My only hope is that they don't ruin it now by trying to keep the franchise going - whilst the door is not closed, the story is now neat enough tied up to make it sensible to leave well enough alone now.
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