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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Bourne Ultimatum, The
Universal Picture


7.7

based on 38 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 370 votes
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Rate this movie

FILM:

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for violence and intense sequences of action

Starring Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Chris Cooper, Brian Cox, Joan Allen, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, and Albert Finney

All he wanted was to disappear. Instead, Jason Bourne is now hunted by the people who made him what he is. Having lost his memory and the one person he loved, he is undeterred by the barrage of bullets and a new generation of highly-trained killers. Bourne has only one objective: to go back to the beginning and find out who he was. (Universal)

GENRE(S):	Action \| Adventure \| Drama \| Mystery \| Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	Robert Ludlum (novel) Tony Gilroy, Paul Attanasio Tom Stoppard, Scott Z. Burns George Nolfi
DIRECTED BY:	Paul Greengrass
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: December 11, 2007 Theatrical: August 3, 2007
RUNNING TIME:	112 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA
LANGUAGE(S):	English / French / Arabic / Russian / Spanish

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Village Voice Nathan Lee

Bravura doesn't begin to describe Greengrass's skill in mounting these complex sequences...This is, simply put, some of the most accomplished filmmaking being done anywhere for any purpose.

100

USA Today Claudia Puig

The best action thriller of the year.

100

Empire James Dyer

The best blockbuster of the summer and the most accomplished thriller since, well, Supremacy. This is the payoff Bourne fans have been waiting for and the standard to which future blockbusters should be held.

100

Slate Dana Stevens

Feels fresher, leaner, and faster than any action movie in years.

100

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

Mr. Greengrass knows how to do his job, and there’s no one in Hollywood right now who does action better, who keeps the pace going so relentlessly, without mercy or letup, scene after hard-rocking scene.

100

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Unstoppable fun.

100

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

A great action movie, exhilarating and neatly crafted, the kind of picture that will still look good 20 or 30 years from now.

100

Time Richard Corliss

The movie is one continuous, exhausting, exhilarating chase.

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

It's a relentless finale to the "Bourne" movie trilogy that raises the stakes, pumps up the action and develops old characters while introducing new villains

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Few films combine a dense and tingling atmosphere with the headlong pacing and adventure of The Bourne Ultimatum.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Damon's minimalist style is key to why the Bourne movies have become an oasis from other blockbuster action fare.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

A spectacular windup toy of a thriller -- a contraption made by an artist.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

Audiences will eat it up: This is a postmillennial spy-action movie pitched to a large international audience. You hardly need subtitles.

Variety Todd McCarthy

A pounding, pulsating thriller that provides an almost constant adrenaline surge for nearly two hours.

Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano

It says something about Paul Greengrass' directing style that he's able to make a movie as fresh and frank as The Bourne Ultimatum from a genre as moldy and bombastic as the spy thriller.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Both the most bewildering of the three movies and also the most brutally compelling.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

It's the rare action picture whose adrenaline-driven thrills neither overshadow the characters nor degenerate into cartoonish preposterousness.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

You sit there, and the action assaults you, and using words to re-create it would be futile. What actually happens to Jason Bourne is essentially immaterial. What matters is that SOMETHING must happen, so he can run away from it or toward it.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

The movies are smart -- smarter than you, but not in an off-putting way. Their basic appeal, especially this new one, is that Matt Damon’s killing machine, Jason Bourne, is the cleverest man on earth. And we thrill to his sense of superiority.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

It's an action picture that's been distilled and compressed to its tightest, barest, almost abstract essence, and it's absolutely thrilling.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

Bursting with so much amped-up energy, you may need to rest once it's finally done.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

The movie is thunderously exciting, but what makes it resonate is the wrenching story we read on Damon's face. We've waited all summer for a wild ride to grab us with more than jolts. Now it's here. Hang on.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

This is the most satisfying thriller of the year, capping the Bourne trilogy.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Director Paul Greengrass - who directed the superb "United 93" between the second and third "Bourne" installments - knows how to stage and edit bravura action sequences, generating almost unbearable suspense while deploying a superb cast.

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

Faster and, if possible, furiouser than its predecessors.

The New Yorker David Denby

You come out of the movie both excited and soothed, as if your body had been worked on by felt-covered drumsticks.

Newsweek David Ansen

For action junkies, The Bourne Ultimatum will be like a hit of pure meth. It's bravura filmmaking in the jittery, handheld, frenetically edited Paul Greengrass style.

Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt

Greengrass and co. may have made one of the best action movies in recent memory.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

The Bourne Ultimatum provides a lot more suspense and tension than "Transformers" could hope for.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

For once, I didn't feel cheated by an unresolved ending, but let's hope this is the end. Robert Ludlum wrote three Bourne novels, and this is one series that ought not to be dishonored by inferior sequels.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

Director Paul Greengrass downplays the movie's travelogue aspects by repeating the bobbly, hand-held camera style he used on "The Bourne Supremacy." It's not a style I'm fond of.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

A thoughtful, satisfying action thriller.

Premiere Glenn Kenny

Most thrillers of this ilk have no qualms about going past the 120-minute mark, but I think Greengrass and company understood that overdoing it would turn mass excitement into massive headache.

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

A perfectly serviceable action movie…better than most, in fact. The entire premise is growing creaky, however, leading us to think we might want to leave this particular spy out in the cold a while, before he becomes completely tiresome.

New York Magazine David Edelstein

It’s not just vérité--it’s battlefield vérité; it triggers your fight-or-flight instincts.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

This adaptation of Robert Ludlum's third and last Bourne thriller doesn't have much story left, so director Paul Greengrass has to keep it moving all the time.

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

It's frenetic to the point of crazy while achieving a mark that barely exceeds mediocre.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

The movie is so surreal it's just not very involving. As an action extravaganza, it's busy but dull.

The average user rating for this movie is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 370 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Anonymous gave it a9:
Simply amazing,fantastic action scenes that just pull you into the screen and astonish you with the dexterity, fluidity and intelligence of every turn. It really makes you stop to wonder how it is executed so much better than maybe every other action movie period. I don't think I've ever thought "intelligent" in conjunction with an action sequence the way I do when I think about this movie. It's a definite gem and something you'll want to see multiple times. Not sure I've ever seen a trilogy like this and hoped for a 4th (I'm talking to you Matrix & Mission Impossible)

JT gave it a10:
Simply the best, most cunning film of 2007. It's an exhilerating ride, filled with white-knuckle tension, jaw-dropping stunts, compelling characters, and an intelligence and depth that can't be appreciated until after repeated viewings.

AJ gave it a7:
I don't understand why this movie was better reviewed than the first, which was by far the best of the three. The camera work is annoying, the actors seemed to mail in their performances and the CIA scenes were ridiculous. I still enjoyed it a little, but really only because I grew to care about the character in the first one.

Mike gave it a0:
way way way over the top! This movies tries to be serious, but how can you take it seriously when the main charater is smarter then the whole CIA department.

Kevin G. gave it an8:
I enjoyed the third installment of the Bourne films, though there's a 12 minute chase scene which gets a big long, though overall the entire movie stays true to the Bourne plot, shows you just how human Jason Bourne really is, and keeps you interested throughout. Definitely a must see if you're a Bourne fan.

weltact gave it a0:
ok, so were talking action films here. the only reason i watched this is because people are constantly comparing MI series with this.. matt damons sped up fights, are you serious? the whole army is chasing matt damon across the world, hes just too smart and powerful to be caught. are you serious? matt damon is playing CIA like fools, theyre completely helpless ARE YOU SERIOUS ???

Robin M. gave it a10:
Excellent movie from start to finish. I've rarely seen the third of a series as being the best of class.

Bourne Ultimatum, The Universal Picture

Bourne Ultimatum, The
Universal Picture