Today we're doing something a little different and focusing on a whole trilogy! Only The Bourne Ultimatum is the only film in the series to make it onto the list, but it's not nearly as fun to talk about that film by itself. We're going to break down the full original trilogy instead! Though there are subsequent films and a TV show in the franchise, the real meat of the story is in these films (and the books they were adapted from). Let's talk Jason Bourne!
The Gist
Bourne Identity
Left for dead in the Mediterranean Sea, a man wakes to discover he has no recollection of his former life. Following a string of clues, he soon discovers he is a shady government assassin whose former organization is now hunting him down.
MPAA Rating: PG-13
The Bourne Supremacy
Because shady organizations can't leave well enough alone, a rogue agent frames Bourne for murder and tries to assassinate him; when the attempt fails, Bourne must elude the organization once again and help uncover corruption in their ranks.
MPAA Rating: PG-13
The Bourne Ultimatum
Jason Bourne is at it again, trying to evade the shady organization's assassins while attempting to uncover his past and take down the ones who took everything from him.
MPAA Rating: PG-13
The Take
I haven’t seen The Bourne Identity in about 20 years, not since the movies were originally being released. It was a pleasant surprise to rewatch the first film and understand the hype that launched the franchise. Action films are often too overstuffed with exposition so the characters can rush on to the next fistfight or car chase, but The Bourne Identity is such a lean story that it managed to avoid those pitfalls. The movie doesn’t spoon-feed information to the audience; rather, we are as confused and disoriented as Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is when he is pulled from the sea. It is a contained story, not much fluff to speak of which lends to the air of mystery and tension. Even we don’t know who these people are who are trying to end Bourne once and for all. The only drawback comes in the form of a superfluous romance subplot between Bourne and Marie (Franka Potente). She is a great straight man to Bourne’s intensity, and the romance portion could be removed with no detriment to the story.
The Bourne Supremacy suffers from a bit of middle movie syndrome, where it has the thankless role of updating audiences on the events of Identity while also pivoting the story to its conclusion in Ultimatum. This extra weight to the plot results in an opening section that is slowed by the exposition before ramping up to the action-packed bulk of the movie. It also involves one of my least favorite tropes for women in action films – you can probably guess what it is – to give extra motivation to Bourne that he already has in abundance. The action sequences are top notch, as they help you believe how capable and dangerous Jason Bourne really is against the Treadstone folks. It also has a great villain emergence in Ward Abbott (Brian Cox), who stands on business when that business is corruption.
I get that Jason Bourne would be considered a massive threat to the Treadstone faction of the CIA, but by The Bourne Ultimatum you would think they would have learned their lesson. Once again, this man is trying to figure out his past life and atone for his sins, and he is relentlessly hunted for it. The action sequences in this installment are in abundance, and all are well-executed. For the stunt work alone, I can understand its inclusion in the list. This must have been a stuntman’s dream gig, with the fight choreography, building hopping, and vehicle chase scenes. Once again the plot is lean, just Bourne trying to uncover secrets, but this time he has a couple of allies in the agency who help him fight the corruption. It’s a satisfying end to the trilogy, with just enough information about Bourne to end the story but without making it too neat.
These films are series of well-crafted fight sequences that convey a lot of backstory. All of the fellow assassins that Bourne encounters (Nicky Naude, Russell Levy, Clive Owen, Marton Csokas, Karl Urban, Joey Ansah, Edgar Ramirez, goodness he fights a lot of assassins) are also great at what they do, and he has small encounters with them that help portray the plight of these soldiers. Their life is stripped away to nothing, and while we only see them in pursuit of their mission, they have human moments to illustrate they’re as trapped in the system as Bourne was. But in the meantime, fists and knives are flying. It’s a triumphant action film in that it delivers on the action scenes without making audiences wait too long in between sequences.
It is also a trilogy that smartly keeps the scope of the story fairly small. Bourne doesn’t diffuse bombs or prevent assassinations, but the small steps towards the truth of his past feel like big, earned wins in each of the films. The world of Treadstone is revealed slowly throughout the films as well; you know they’re the antagonists, but the extent of their villainy develops as the story progresses. I saw a lot of inspiration to John Wick in watching the Bourne trilogy; the world slowly unfolds and the audience experience is all the better for it.
All three of the Bourne movies are top-notch, and really shine when you view them as a cohesive unit. This is a trilogy done right, an action plot that respects audience intelligence and doesn't babysit dialogue scenes at the detriment of the fight sequences. The emergence of Bourne's allies throughout the series (Joan Allen, Julia Stiles) is satisfying when you see the natural progression of their interactions. Supremacy is the least successful in the bunch because of its need to bridge the story, but that by no means makes it a bad or weak film. Conversely, Ultimatum is the best individual film because of its tight pacing, but that is only achievable because Identity and Supremacy succeeded in their leg work. I would recommend any and all of these films to you!
Trilogy Rating: 8/10
Memorable Moments
The car chases in Identity and Supremacy are my favorite scenes because Bourne is driving a dinky little car the whole time.
"Get some rest, Pam. You look tired." ~intense needle drop~
The last scene in Ultimatum is so satisfying.
Try It If...
You like a spy thriller story.
You don't like too much exposition.
You enjoy car chases - there's one for every movie!
Avoid It If...
You are not a fan of action or spy thriller films.
You don't enjoy Matt Damon as an actor - he is the star, after all.
You need a romance element in your films; there isn't much of one here.
The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy are available to stream on Peacock.
The Bourne Ultimatum is available to stream on Max.