Bourne again

The Bourne Ultimatum (directed by Paul Greengrass)

The third installment in the Jason Bourne series is visceral, exciting, well-directed fun. Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, United 93) kicks the story off at a frenetic pace and doesn't let go. The camera work is at times a bit dizzying, but the action and fight sequences are so well done that it's warranted, and there are stunts aplenty, as opposed to the CGI saturation of most recent action films.

Jason Bourne (Damon) is starting to recall his true identity, and isn't that a bitch for the CIA dogs running the top secret Blackbriar mission. Weasely Noah Vosen (played with finesse by David Strathairn) and Pamela Lundy from the previous films (the superb Joan Allen) are trying to track Bourne's whereabouts, but just as they're about to nab him, Bourne throws them another catch-me-if-you can sucker punch, and it's off to another part of the world. London, Paris, Madrid, Moscow, New York, Tangier: the Second Unit crews on this film require a bathroom break apiece.

The Bourne Ultimatum is in essence another late-summer blockbuster, but it's also one of the best action films in recent years.