The Bourne Ultimatum and The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Tuesday, August 7th, 2007 9:12 pm—FilmThe Bourne Ultimatum (USA 2007, Action/Adventure/Mystery), Writers: Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns and George Nolfi; Director: Paul Greengrass
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (USA 2005, Comedy/Romance), Writers: Judd Apatow and Steve Carell; Director: Judd Apatow
(Spoiler Alert: I don’t give away the ending, but you may want to skip this post until you’ve seen The Bourne Ultimatum. Although I will say that I love the way the ending comes full circle and ties the series up nicely.)
Like the first two instalments in the Bourne trilogy, The Bourne Ultimatum is a great spy film. It has all the necessary elements—suspense, mystery, chase scenes, fight scenes—but the writers trimmed the fat off your standard spy movie fare, focusing on the essentials.
One of those essentials—not that you’d know it from your typical Hollywood action flick—is a believable, well-developed protagonist. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is a complicated, conflicted character. He has incredible athleticism and fighting skills, but he also bleeds when he’s hit (something I really liked about Daniel Craig’s Bond in Casino Royale). After an impressive battle against one of the other Treadstone assassins, we see Bourne sitting on the bed nursing his swollen knuckles.
Bourne doesn’t rely only on brawn to escape tricky situations. He’s smart. In one of the first two films, he uses maps and a stolen police headset to figure his way out of a building, rather than bombing or shooting his way out.
He’s also incredibly cerebral and internal. It’s nice to see filmmakers trust viewers to accept an action hero who doesn’t spew one-liners as comic relief. Bourne asks only the basics, and says only what needs to be said. There is nothing superfluous in his world.
Having Marie (Run Lola Run’s Franka Potente) in the first film provided a nice contrast to his logical way of thinking; she was scattered, disorganized, but sweet and full of joy and wonder. She gave Bourne a taste of what life is really about. I wasn’t sure if the franchise would work without her, to be honest, but fortunately it does.
I was intrigued to see the filmmakers touch on Bourne’s motives for joining Treadstone. When he hands over his dog tags, the movie hints at some shame he wanted to escape—perhaps a failure or betrayal in the military—and an intense need to prove himself. It’s an interesting suggestion, given that Bourne now seems ruled by loyalty and honour.
As Bourne, Damon carries the film. Ben Affleck was originally offered the part, and it’s a very lucky thing for all involved that he turned it down. The series wouldn’t work with Affleck in the role. He lacks Damon’s intelligence and subtlety, both of which play a huge part in distinguishing the Bourne trilogy from other movies in its genre. (Damon is a really good actor, but I think he’s often overlooked because of his subtlety. Case in point: The Departed, for which every other major player got an Academy Award or Golden Globe nomination—including Marky Mark.)
Another major plus about The Bourne Ultimatum is that it features a trailer for Eastern Promises, David Cronenberg’s latest film starring Viggo Mortensen. I can’t wait for this to open. Viggo practically melts the screen. This should be another great role for him; he does a very convincing Russian accent. I’m a little worried about the violence, though. It looks even more brutal than A History of Violence.
I also recently saw The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which I highly recommend unless you take life too seriously. Like the main character’s virginity, it drags on a little too long, but at several points it had me laughing so hard I was nearly in tears. Watch for the scene when Andy (Steve Carell) tries to be one of the boys at poker night. (A bag of sand?) The movie also features one of the best lines in film history: “I’m a virgin. I always have been.”