Wednesday, September 26, 2007

The Bourne Ultimatum: Movie Review



The Premise:

Jason Bourne, an ex-undercover-agent for CIA, somehow lost his memory. The CIA is hunting for him, considered a
potential threat for the agency. Why? No idea. He wants to know. He is the hunted and the hunter as well. In the previous installment, CIA guys aimed for him, missed and struck his girlfriend instead. Bourne is determined to unearth his past and find out....Who IS Jason Bourne? ( Sounds like 'Antony kaun hai?', which is a great movie, though I didn't understand anything. Errr.....I digress).

Bourne's enquiries and the things that he accidentally finds out definitely have a high impact on the CIA. There are secrets that shouldn't come out. He is on the run.....and what a run! It takes us across nations. Guns fire, bombs go off, people fall dead around him. At least one thing is sure, he is on the right path.

FOR:

1) Matt Damon IS Bourne. I love this actor.....underrated may be, but definitely not underachieved. He doesn't falter
anywhere. The looks, the moves, the reflexes....If this isn't a perfect act, I don't know what is.

2) It is a solid movie on its own right. You don't have to watch the other Bourne movies to enjoy this one. Just know the premise and you are all set to be taken for a rollercoaster ride. Oh yes, it is a rollercoaster ride. I mean, the action sequences. (But, I prefer the other kind of rollercoaster - The one they subjected me to in The Departed... Playing the guessing game with the movie-makers and losing it with pleasure....Pure bliss. Err....I digress again)

Coming back to Bourne, the camera work
enhances the realistic action sequences. A car chase, a chase across the roof-tops of Morocco (?); everything just makes u hold your breath. Well, may be not up to the mark that Casino Royale has set. But, still worth your money, and some more.

3) Have to salute the director and the editor. START-ACTION-FINISH. No excess fat in this one.



AGAINST:

1) The camera work, that made action-sequences so brilliant, gave cringes in some other scenes. I felt that the trick was a
bit over done.

2) My partner said that the best thing about Bourne series is that it's a believable story...compared to other spy-thrillers.
I wouldn't know about CIA and their work-culture (?!). And I don't care if a movie is pro-CIA or ant-CIA. But, hey, give them some credit man! They are THE Agency, after all. The movie is like...the whole CIA is a bunch of dim-wits. Getting into CIA deputy director's office, taking some top secret documents and getting out of there without any harm??? hmm...we are talking about Bourne...Like Pamela says "This is Jason Bourne, the toughest target that you have ever tracked",right? Right.

3) The dialogues and even some sequences were very predictable. There is even a very-bollywood-style dialogue.....


Bad guy (in car, on cell phone): Perhaps we can arrange a meet.

Bourne (On phone, from Bad guy's office): Where are you now?

Bad guy: I'm sitting in my office.
Bourne: I doubt that.

Bad guy: Why would you doubt that?
Bourne: If you were in your office right now we'd be having this conversation face-to-face.


The sucker for dramatic lines that I am, with glee I cheered along with the whole theatre.


4) For all the shrewdness he displays, Bourne does some extremely stupid things. Like, walking beside a person whom the CIA is following. Well, those CIA agents doesn't recognize him? Well, we know that. The CIA know that. But, how does Bourne know that?

5) The climax: I mean the part where Bourne finds out his past....it felt hastily put together. This is what for all this
time he has been running around?! The feeling: Dud!

MY ADVICE (how I love doing this!):


Drop your work, get the ticket and watch this action packed entertainer.....only in a theatre please.