Third and final (?) installment in the Jason Bourne series.
One more time, Bourne (Matt Damon) is trying to find out who he is and how he became an unstoppable killer, while the CIA sends an endless supply of slightly less unstoppable killers after him. (One of the fun things about the Bourne universe is that the job description for hired killers apparently includes "must have a fabulous body and a gorgeous face.")
The action scenes are dazzling. The standout is a hand-to-hand combat scene that takes place in a very tiny Morocco apartment; there's none of that quick and easy dispatching of the villains that we get in lesser action movies. No, Bourne and his rival both take a pummelling in this one, and even though we know that Bourne is going to win, the scene is still filled with suspense and tension.
One of the best things about the Bourne movies is that they don't settle for whichever relatively competent actors happen to be available; they get real actors -- Joan Allen, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Julia Stiles, Albert Finney -- who bring more depth to characters who could be simple cartoons. And let's not forget Damon himself, whose fine work here will no doubt be dismissed by many because this is "just" an action flick.
Yes, Greengrass does go a bit overboard with the jiggly hand-held camera, and the New York car chase at the end of the movie does subject Bourne to more violence than anyone could actually survive, but as popcorn thrillers go, this is a high adrenaline thrill ride, and lots smarter than the usual for the genre.
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