Friday, August 3, 2007

Bourne Again!

The Bourne Ultimatum was released today. I'm unlikely to see it in a theater as the presence of a 3 year old has made Alma and me very estranged from theaters, but you can be sure that I will rent the DVD as soon as it gets released. I watched both the earlier Jason Bourne episodes more than 5 times each and learned to enjoy them like fine wine. I like the fact that Bourne is tough and determined (though he was trained to be en effective assassin), that he is the archetypical DIY sort of guy (unlike the Bond/Rambo/Ethan Hunt/ big guns/bombs/cars/women types), outwitting the institutional types with streetsmartness and everyday tools. He doesn't give in to wisecracks or svelte puns, just does what he does because he needs to do it. Anyone in sales would appreciate his tenacity in picking up a phone directory to call the hotels in town to locate Julia Stiles. He is a bare knuckles one-on-one, fearsome fighter; and he doesn't stay around to receive accolades. He is also intensely soul-searching and trying to look back beyond where his amnesia left him. We feel his pain and want him to succeed for his own sake. His car chases don't want to satisfy us with gravity-defying acrobatics, they just happen because he drives very well. No gadgets or fancy cars, just talent. In 'The Bourne Identity' he drives a subcompact through the streets and alleyways of Paris, outwitting police cars and motorcycles because of his dexterity at the wheel alone. In 'The Bourne Supremacy' an old Russian taxi car is all he has against cops and an SUV driving assassin. In The Bourne Ultimatum I hear there is a scene in which he rides a motocycle up a concrete wall. This wasn't computer wizardry, a stuntman actually did it. That's what I prefer.

So much for the lyrical prose. Ninety percent of the reviews out there for all three films are positive, 'nuff said. I'm waiting for the movie to hit the small screen.

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