The Bourne Ultimatum, frankly the perfect end to a practically perfect trilogy. I found a refreshing cyclical feel as the final threads were tied off and the whole pattern revealed itself. So often a movie franchise will deviate so far from the original concept that you are almost always left wondering how it came to this. How did things get so far off track? I submit into evidence: Batman. Of course, now with the Christian Bale installment, we’re getting back on track, but still, Joel Schumacher, what faulty model of beer goggles were you sporting when looking at final edits for Batman 3 and 4?
Apologies for the digression, but it had to be said. While I fully concede that it is important to venture beyond the original framework of a movie and delve deeper into the world of fantasy in later chapters that were created with the first movie, it is always nice to be reminded of where you have been and what you’ve experienced as you the viewer accompanies the characters along the way. In this latest part of the story, we find Jason Bourne almost just as we left him, limping along in Moscow, and we can receive a little closure on that end. All too often we find characters at the beginning of a sequel or trilogy months or years later and must be told through plot development what happened in the past. Here, we see exactly what happens step-by-step.
Furthermore, this movie refers on numerous occasions back to the first movie. The plot here centers around an operation called Blackbriar, which for those true Bourne fans (if you didn’t pick up on this instantly, I can hardly in good conscience validate your self-proclamations of ‘die-hard fan’) will evoke memories of Director Abbot giving testimony in front of a Senate oversight committee at the tail end of The Bourne Identity.
One of the greatest connections in my mind is how the scene at the end of The Bourne Supremacy plays out in the third movie where Jason Bourne observes and contacts Pamela Landy in her New York office. This knowledge of this conversation creates some discord at the beginning of the third movie, because Landy states she hasn’t received and information about Bourne sightings after Moscow. This conversation is replayed exactly in the third movie and the viewer receives both closure from the second installment and learns there is much more to the exchange than originally anticipated. This brings these two movies so close together they may as well have been filmed at the same time.
Other connections: Nicki Parsons (Julia Stiles) dies her hair dark brown and cuts it off in chunks exactly like Bourne did to Maria in the first movie. Bourne looks at an assassin and says, “Look at this. Look at what they make you give,” a word-for-word repetition of Clive Owen’s last words to Bourne before his death in The Bourne Identity. Bourne jumps into the East river in NYC and is seen floating lifeless just like the very beginning of the first movie.
When all is said and done, we find ourselves with both an in-depth knowledge of Jason Bourne and the world he was trying to remember and escape from at the same time and a clear view back to the beginning of this journey through these connections. As my friend Cheryl said on the car ride home, “It’s definitely a guy movie, but a great one.”
6 comments:
Good post, UPC, but I'm going to have to throw a few wrenches into it. While I did absolutely love this installment of the Bourne movies, I didn't quite feel as much resolution as you did. I loved every second of the action and the way things were tied so nicely to the previous movies, but I was frustrated with the Julie Stiles storyline. I recognize that they're trying to created suspense for future films, but why introduce the possibility of a "past" with her if you weren't going to explain it? Gaaaahhhh!! Frustrating! Just save it for the next film! My other beef was that when Bourne finally got to the training facility and we "learned" how he came to be who he is, I found it rather anti-climactic. Seriously? That's all there is to it? You wanted to serve your country and this was the best way you could do that? Hm. It was just a little empty is all.
But that's all. Other than those two little things...I loved, loved, loved it! :) I want to see it again, as a matter of fact. Anyone up for that?
Well, Christina, I respect your views, but don't quite share them. Firstly, I think the Bourne movies are less about his search for identity and more about being mistaken as a security threat during the course of this pursuit and hunted down for things that aren't really his fault. Yes, he was trying to find out who he was, but he was content to just try and 'remember' on a beach in India with Marie. It isn't until they come get him because they fear him being a factor in some other equation that he takes a more aggressive approach, so the revelation of his true identity is almost a bi-product of coming to the end of the power chain that fears him.
As for Julia Stiles' involvement, there needs to be a reason why someone so superfluous to Jason's life is involved in all three movies, and frankly she needed to have a reason for helping him, as she is still in good standing with the Company. We can't really count his charming personality, because in the 2nd movie he held a gun to her head and threatened to kill her. Subtract her possible feelings and there is not decent explanation for her helping him. Plus, it's lonely out there. At least he had a friend for a while. And you're right, it does open doors for possible future movies.
Hear-hear, Unpro. A good review of a good movie. I like how you pointed out the parallels, especially the chiasmic feel created by Bourne's floating body at the end.
I agree that we didn't need more info on the whole Nikki background. If they decide to extend the franchise, then I'm sure we'll learn more about it. If not, they really gave us all the information we need. I'm going to be really sexist now (you've all been warned) and say that it's probably more of a girl thing that Christina was perplexed by the lack of information on a relationship in a movie that was built around espionage and action.
But I will agree with the dissatisfaction with the lack of explanation on why he joined up. While it's true that the movies weren't as much about the Bourne identity (hey, wait...), the filmmakers did put a lot of emphasis on those flashbacks and on finding out about his origins in this film. To me, it felt like there was more explanation there that probably got left on the editing room floor. We saw bits of the file that said Bourne resisted induction, we know that he had to be water-boarded, and we know that there was more psychological manipulation than what we saw in the fleshed-out relevatory flashback. I think the director cut out some details in the name of time and action. Perhaps there will be a director's cut or extended version like there was with the first film. We'll find out more then.
Obviously it's a girl thing, as I was also annoyed at how wide open they left the whole Nikki-thing interpretation for aNOTHER sequel... not that I was annoyed they didn't go into it, merely that they left it open when, as you have all stated, a Bourne trilogy would have been a perfect sequence, voiced by Damon himself, who has expressed little-to-no desire for making another Bourne film. Obviously Nikki is the would-be focus of said new film (as they focus on her with the "weeerooooo!" crazy Bourne music at the ending) but I have a sinking feeling we're never going to find out exactly what happens, since Damon doesn't want to make another movie, as I agree that he doesn't need to.
Yes, girls and their silly romances...
You're right, Jared, that is a rather sexist comment, but I will also agree w/ Jen and say it's pretty accurate. We women do like a bit more explanation behind relationships. We also like a bit more explanation behindBut I can satisfy myself with thinking that there will be further explanation in a future installment. I'm not happy to hear that Mr. Damon isn't keen on coming back for anymore movies, though. They can't just replace him. That would be just so very, very wrong!
UPC, sorry for dwelling on the things I disagreed with in your post. I really did think was well thought-out and you did a great job of pinpointing the ways in which each film connected to its companions. Very nice.
Keep up the good work.
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