8/14/07

A Review of The Bourne Ultimatium

*** Spoiler Alert ***

To all you Ludlum fans out there you will once again be disappointed with the third installment of Jason Bourne.

The bullet points:

* CIA = bad people

* CIA Black bag Division in Midtown Manhattan = really, really bad people ... evil actually ...

Ok, the action was vintage "movie" Jason Bourne with great close quarters fight scenes and car chase/crash scenes. Unfortunately the usual Jason Bourne robot showed up whenever Matt had to walk thru a crowd and not be noticed by the dozens of killers on the lookout for him. You know, the blank stare combined with the stiff determined walk that is supposed to be Jason Bourne blending in but comes off as "spy trying to blend in".

Then there is the Black Bag outfit in MIDTOWN Manhattan that looks more like a bunch of computer programmers. I mean if you are running the most covert division at the CIA why wouldn't you setup shop at some midtown high rise, like you were a hedge fund. And curtains on the windows ? Come on, why worry about the HUNDREDS of offices across the street that have an unrestricted view of your desk, papers and computer screen. I mean couldn't they at least get some writers that try to depict covert operations with something approaching reality. Or at least a reality based on simple logic.

What is it about movie spy bosses and their fetish with keeping PAPER records of every misdeed their minions may have done. If you really were a vicious, do whatever it takes to protect America monster then in what alternate reality would you keep files on assassinations from years ago ?

The Bourne series of books is nothing like this anti-American rant from Hollywood. These movies could have been much more interesting if any of the themes of the books had been followed but that would not have bashed the US enough so this re-write is what we get instead.

The Ghost ...