The Bourne Ultimatum

It's hard to imagine that this is the same guy who had a cameo in Chasing Amy and starred in Good Will Hunting. Now Matt Damon is playing a CIA assassin. You never know where Hollywood can take you.

In case you didn't know, The Bourne Identity is out on DVD. Within the past month, there have been some great DVD's released. There's Live Free Or Die Hard, Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix, and now The Bourne Ultimatum.

I haven't watched the previous films in the Bourne series, but it didn't matter. The fast paced action along with a real smart plot outweighed any minor details that I didn't get. Although now I'm going back to the beginning to trace my steps and catch up with the story. Speaking of tracing your steps, Matt Damon did an awesome job playing an amnesiac Jason Bourne trying to find his identity. Any skeptic of Matt's work as an actor should check out his role here.

This is a film that combines explosive action along with a smart story that snatches your attention from the opening scene. Be sure to pay attention to every little detail, because by the end of the film, your head will be spinning as everything ties together. I will say this. If you like surprises, then you won't be disappointed. The special effects are nothing short of amazing as you are taken on a wild ride to places like Russia, Spain, Morocco, and New York City.

Now, since this is the DVD version, I have to mention the extras. Watching the behind the scenes on the DVD made me appreciate the film more. Within the special features, you get a glimpse of how much hard work went into creating the effects, and in filming at high profile locations such as London and NYC. This is not one of those movies which takes place in NYC but is filmed in Toronto. No, this was filmed right in the heart of the city. Living next to NYC, I can attest that traffic there is bad enough without having a car chase scene shutting down parts of 7th Avenue. Learning that they had to get permission from the Mayor's office to shut down the street while filming, I have to admit that is quite a feat! Not to mention that there were probably more than a few pissed off New Yorkers. But in the end, it's all for the good of the movie. And trust me, after seeing some of the film's car chases, that work definitely paid off!

So I guess the question after seeing the film is, "Will there be another?" We'll just have to wait and see. Until then, I'm making it a point to start from the first film in the series, and work my way back up to this one.