DVD Release Date:  December 11, 2007
Theatrical Release Date:  August 3, 2007
Rating:  PG-13 (for violence and intense sequences of action)
Genre:  Action
Run Time:  111 min.
Director:  Paul Greengrass
Actors:  Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Paddy Considine, Albert Finney, Joan Allen, Colin Stinton

The Bourne Ultimatum, the third film in a series about a trained killer trying to reclaim his previously erased identity, tops its predecessors with amazing set-piece action sequences and expert editing and camerawork. It's a kinetic rush that barely gives viewers time to breathe, much less think.

But think we must, as the central mystery of the three films—who is Jason Bourne, and how did he become a killing machine?—is, at last, resolved, while communicating an uncomfortable message about current events in the post-9/11 world: Those who "volunteer" to "kill the bad guys" are the victims of power-mad warmongers unconcerned about the humanity of their charges.

Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is once again on the run, struggling with cloudy flashbacks about the origins of his role as a trained killer. Beginning in Moscow, the film follows Bourne's attempts to locate and question those who turned him into a human weapon.

When Bourne reads a newspaper article about himself, he contacts the reporter, Simon Ross (Paddy Considine), and arranges a meeting at a train station, hoping to learn more about his background, which has been leaked to the reporter by CIA official Neal Daniels (Colin Stinton). But Bourne isn't the only one tipped off by the article. The CIA, headed by Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), also tracks the reporter's every move, and gives the command to "take them both out."

The convergence of Bourne, Ross and CIA operatives guided by Vosen is the film's first major set-piece, and it's a dandy, showcasing director Paul Greengrass' growing penchant for sequences that involve rapid editing, jittery camerawork and crowd choreography.

Bourne escapes the milieu with the reporter's information, and with the help of former coworker Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) avoids subsequent attempts on his life. One spectacular escape follows Bourne, Parsons and a killer across rooftops, ending with a death that is chilling in its brutality, but also a matter of self-defense and protection of others.

A subsequent car chase resets the bar for movie chases, delivering spectacular thrills before the film's finale, in which CIA employee Pamela Landy (Joan Allen)—seeking to undermine Vosen—assists Bourne after he arrives in New York. It's there that Bourne will find out who he really is, and confront the main architect of the Bourne persona, Dr. Albert Hirsch (Albert Finney).