Sin should never define you. Never say that sin is responsible for making you who you are; it doesn’t deserve that much credit. My pastor told me that during his sermon one Sunday morning. Ironically enough, it was the Sunday before my screening for The Bourne Ultimatum, and it perfectly sums up what Jason Bourne discovers when he finally finds the answers he’s been searching for. He discovers that he doesn’t have to let what he’s done in the past define who he is anymore. Yes, The Bourne Ultimatum does deliver answers, some of which we’ve all been looking for, and it delivers more of the trademark thrills of Jason Bourne.

Jason Bourne has always had a style all his own. It’s a style that sets him apart from other spies like James Bond, and that style remains in this third chapter of the Bourne saga. Once again, Paul Greengrass uses hand-held camera techniques to make the action seem more gritty, realistic, and in your face; and once again that sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. While this time out it isn’t as distracting as it was in The Bourne Supremacy, it’s still at times distracting and frustrating. I know it’s more “in the moment” for action to be a blur and chaotic, but as an audience member I want to see what’s going on. Backing off from the herky-jerky camera style just a bit would be more effective and still retain that unique “Bourne” feel. That being said, we do get to see more of the action, and the moments when the hand-held camera filming style works, it works really well.

Now, it’s been awhile since we’ve last seen Jason Bourne, and The Bourne Ultimatum picks up right where the last film left off. That’s a bit tough as I had to try and figure out what was going on while remembering how the last film ended. Plus, since Bourne finally gets some answers this time around, we the audience have to be reminded of what some of the questions are. While Ultimatum does a good job of doing this with dialogue and flashbacks, it still takes up a lot of time to remind us of the questions (going all the way back to the first film), so when we do get to the answers they’re a bit truncated and don’t feel quite as complete or intricate as we’d like. The pay off is nice, but it would have been better to have more time for them, but the payoff would have been nothing without the reminders of what’s gone on, so I guess it all works out.

Matt Damon once again acquits himself well has Jason Bourne. He doesn’t really have a whole lot to say as usual, but he’s intense, driven and entirely believable as a deadly assassin looking for answers to his past. The rest of the cast, unfortunately, doesn't shine quite as brightly. While they all do a competent job, they aren’t really given a whole lot to do. They’re all stereotypical, cardboard cutout characters (sleazy CIA guy, helpful female with feelings for the hero, bad guy who gets beat up, evil mastermind with no remorse) and are really there just for Bourne to interact with. But the intense and intricate action sequences more than makeup for the shallow characters. Bourne’s fighting is fast, efficient and lethal, and really unlike anything else we’ve seen. Plus there’s plenty of tension that slowly builds during the many chase sequences, which helps considering that some of these sequence feel almost too long.

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