|
|
|
"THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM" (PG-13)
Matt Damon continues
to mesmerize audiences with "The Bourne Ultimatum"
By Clayton Davis
From acclaimed film director, Paul
Greengrass comes the third installment in the Jason Bourne series.
Starring Academy Award winner Matt Damon and nominees David Strathairn,
Joan Allen and Albert Finney. Great action with an even greater
storyline make Bourne one of the most successful sequels in decades.
Matt Damon brings a great sense of vengeance and humanity to his role
and engages himself in a character even if he is incredibly reserved.
What people tend to forget is that Damon is one of our most underrated
and talented actors working in Hollywood today. Turning in great after
great performances in The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Departed and Syriana,
Damon is on his way to a future acting win to bookend his writing win.
His “Jason Bourne” is as complex as he is simple and gives us the range
of an actor that the audience believes.
Joan Allen is our most overdue, besides Julianne Moore, working actress
today without an Oscar. While it isn’t the Oscar bait role that every
person dreams of, she brings that needed exuberance to a role and
balances this film perfectly. Snubbed for The Upside of Anger, fans of
Allen will wait for the role that will land at on a Kodak stage.
However, her “Pamela Landy” is quite an impressive performance
nonetheless, and is a likeable character that the viewer doesn’t mind
seeing on screen.
Our supporting players David Strathairn and Albert Finney play their
villainous roles effectively and exquisitely. We enjoy their on screen
presence and look forward to future work from these veterans but there
is no shining when Allen and Damon are this good.
The screenplay by Tony Gilroy, Scott Burns, and George Nolfi is quick,
engaging and intoxicating as it keeps the viewer enticed the entire time
without giving us a breath. Adapting it from the series was an
achievement especially when it’s an action story, which can often take
away from the storyline. They never lose that character depiction and
development. Along with the direction by United 93’s director Paul
Greengrass with his lovely precision of directing and never losing site
of source material, Greengrass is our next big directing icon for
generations to come, if not there already.
The Bourne Ultimatum is a great addition to a action, crime genre like
Lethal Weapon, Die Hard and Casino Royale. Sound and Cinematography are
feasible considerations for Oscar in the upcoming season but it is
subtle and can be overshadowed and steamrolled by bigger projects. But
audiences can easily enjoy this gem of cinema.
****/**** |
|
|
