The Bourne Ultimatum

Matt Damon Week continues here at Little Round Mirrors, where I assure you we're not fucking Matt Damon; we just have a lot of his movies.

The Bourne Ultimatum is the one I've seen the fewest times, but I think I like this one the most. The fight scenes still hold up, unchallenged by the new 007 films, and I admire Julia Stiles' work. However, I still do not understand how a simple dye job can throw off the C.I.A., but in these films that's how to elude them. I'd at least go for a fake beard or Groucho glasses.

There are a few other unbelievable elements here. How does he get into a C.I.A. deep cover facility undetected? Well, because everyone in the building left. How did that happen? How did Landy get into a building with a C.I.A. training facility and send a fax with classified content while the building was being raided? Just...never mind. Play along. This is a Hollywood blockbuster, designed for your entertainment. If I can borrow a phrase from another film: "And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude..."

Sometimes you just need a film that will take you on a ride so you can forget about life for a while (thank you, Billy Joel). Sometimes you need something to spin after a long day at work so you can put things away in your mind. There's nothing wrong with that — as long as the entertainment is well done — and though they're not perfect, the Bourne films all fit the bill.

The real trouble is I find it hard to watch one of the sequels without watching the previous film(s). I forget things. I like the feeling of continuity. I want to see the story in full.

I enjoy these films for the same reason I'm drawn to the Bond films: the traveling. I've been stuck in Indiana most of my life; we went to England once and I've been around the country on a few vacations to maybe 18 states. I went to Canada when I was a kid and don't remember a thing. I sort of live vicariously through his travels, except no one shoots at me.

Finally, I love how the trilogy bookends. When we first see Jason Bourne, way back in The Bourne Identity, he's floating in the Mediterranean, unconscious but tethered to a life he can't remember. When we see him for the last time, he's floating in the East River (ew), barely conscious, but free.

I like a good bookend, so here you go.