The Bourne Ultimatum (PG-13, 2007)

common sense media says

Best in the series so far. For mature teens and up.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this film features wall-to-wall action, much of it violent, causing repeated, bloody injuries to Bourne. The film includes car chases and crashes, explosions, fights, falls from great heights, smashes through windows, and murders (hand-to-hand, by gunfire), as well as images of dead bodies. The plot involves high tech surveillance and a dastardly, secret CIA program, and the hero comes to distrust his (U.S.) government (that said, Senate hearings at film's end lead to arrests of "rogue agents"). Language includes "s--t," "damn," and "hell."

Positive messages: Bourne is singularly moral-minded; CIA agents and other killers are deadly, calculating, and cold.
Violence: Bourne first appears limping and being chased aboard a moving train; he jumps off, finds a hospital, trails blood everywhere, washes his bloody hands, self-injects a needle full of painkiller, hits one officer and holds his gun on another. Flashbacks throughout show young Bourne's torture (hooded figures, waterboarding, frantic camerawork and dissolves), refer to his girlfriend's murder ("shot in the head"). Scene in morgue shows corpse. Violent acts -- shown in chaotic camerawork and editing -- include explosions (preceded by bomb-making), punching, kicking, flipping, leaping, falling, crashing through a window, car-crashing and -screeching, shooting (by snipers and face-to-face), bone-breaking, stabbing.
Sex: In subjective flashbacks, Bourne tenderly kisses Maria (his dead girlfriend), once underwater, as she floats away.
Language: Several uses of "s--t" and "damn," repeated uses of "hell" in frustration (e.g., "What the hell's going on here?").
Consumerism: Vespa motorbike.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: In flashbacks, Bourne and another man appear to be sedated.

More on The Bourne Ultimatum

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about Bourne's sense of betrayal: How does he come to see himself as a tool, created and used by the CIA, and how does his moral sense lead him to challenge his "employers"? Why might it be significant that Bourne is helped by the two women agents, who both question their boss' efforts to cover up the secret program? How does Bourne's amnesia make him different from most other, very self-secure action heroes? They could also discuss action movies in general, and talk about what makes a good one.

What's the story?

What's the story?

In THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM -- the very smart third film in the Bourne series -- super-spy-assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) finally gets some answers. In a plot that resembles Robocop meets Manchurian Candidate, Bourne seeks not only his identity, but also the individuals responsible for both his loss of memory and extraordinary killing skills. His search leads him from Torino to Paris, London to Tangier, and then on to Manhattan, each city yielding a piece of Bourne's puzzle. His hunters this time include the CIA's Deputy Director Vosen (David Strathairn) and others behind the scenes, who use all manner of astounding surveillance technology as well as "assets," or killers trained like Bourne. No longer a brutal instrument of the government, eliminating "targets" for unknown reasons, Bourne now becomes a moral center, a remarkably resilient one at that. Again and again, he rises from crashes and fights, like the Terminator, ever in motion, resolved to find his secret-agency "maker."

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

The film's action is stunning (fast, visceral, stylized), and the consequences deadly. When he learns that a London Guardian reporter, Ross (Paddy Considine), has stumbled onto Blackbriar, Bourne makes contact, then directs his every step by cell phone, negotiating a crowded Waterloo Station and avoiding a CIA sniper. Given his deep sense of loss concerning Marie (killed in the last film), it's not surprising that Bourne shares a distrust of the CIA with two women, specialist Pam Landy (Joan Allen) and an agent, Nicky (Julia Stiles), who both helped to track Bourne in the previous films and now question Vosen's extreme measures. Nicky's understanding of Bourne may be the most poignant, as she watches him resolve a brilliantly edited chase scene in Tangier with an amazing fight against yet another "asset."

Bourne's quest leads him to ugly truths, about himself and the behavior-modifying experiment that created him. As his memory returns, he has flashbacks of his training, including torture. The film goes on to show that Bourne once believed he was doing the right thing, that he would "save American lives" by giving himself "to the program." When he finally finds himself, he sees he must determine his own motivations, not believe in someone else's.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Paul Greengrass
Cast: David Strathairn, Joan Allen, Julia Stiles
Genre: Thriller
Run time: 115 minutes
Theatrical release: August 2, 2007
DVD release: December 11, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: violence and intense sequences of action
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This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
 
 

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What parents & educators say

13

Most useful reviews by all members

4Spice
adult
 
great action classic 12 and over
every single bourne is good but this one just won too much it has heck of a good action and violence its a real CLASSIC watch it and you'll never forget it 12 and over because minors wont understand the story and for violence watch the bourne in a row .

Tsion
parent of 15 year old
 
WOW! I thought the others were good, but this one...WOW!
THE BOURNE IDENITY surpassed my expectations. SUPREMACY matched them. ULTIMATUM completely blew me away; it surpassed the set of expectations I had behind my first set. The acting was so good, the plot so enthralling, the action so intense, the script so well-written, I couldn't believe I bought this for $9.50 at Target. If you loved the other Bourne films, this one will blow you away. You won't be able to keep your eyes off it. Violence is the same as the others. There is an extreme amount of fights and weapons, but those who are shot are shot non-graphically. There is some blood after fist-fights, but no more than the previous two. Bourne makes a good role model for kids; he is trained as an assassin, so in almost every scene he finds himself pointing a gun at someone's head. But he chooses to say no and show them mercy...in fact, I can't think of a time when he kills in cold blood. He's always placed in immediate danger, and acts out of self-defense. There is no sex, and language is limited to one "SOB", infrequent "s**t"s, and several "d**n"s.

9001
teen, 15 years old
 
Wonderful movie, but way to violent for kids.
Wonderful movie, but extremely violent.

georges113
parent of 11 year old
 
Too violent too smart for an under 14... recommended for people over 15-16 years..
BEST MOVIE EVER..... but too violent for kids and small teens... and waaaaaaayy too smart... heart pouniding thriller u can't get ur head out of the screen... but not for someone under 14 they won't understand it understand the meaning of it... sexually: bourne starts to remember and he remembers when he kissed his girlfriend a passionate kiss for 2-3 seconds... nothing explicit at all and could be explained as a normal kiss... ENJOY THE MOVIE ... i watched it over 20 times...

coolmandudeyeah
teen, 16 years old
 
amazing.
great great movie. at first i was confused then everything was explained and i understood it. this and supremacy are the two best. the first one was 3 stars. 2nd and 3rd are five stars.

sgjohnson
teen, 15 years old
 
Best Bourne movie
The story starts off with action and then builds up. It has the right balance of fighting, talk/investigation, and humor. The car chase stands out in a world where automobile scenes are cliche. The only thing that I found annoying were the flashbacks. They happened every few minutes and looked like someone waving around a camera. Overall, I would watch it again.

sek98
teen, 14 years old
 
The best Bourne yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This movie is definitely the best one yet!!!!!!! It doesn't have as much violence than what they have listed. I honestly didn't see any bone breaking, or stabbing. There are multiple car chases and they all end in a crash or an explosion. The second chase resembles the one in the Bourne Identity. Bourne always seems to get out "Unharmed" no matter how bad the crash is. In the first scene, he just knocks one guard unconscious, and he doesn't shoot the other. Bourne leads multiple people through crowded places, and he would make an awesome GPS. There are flashbacks throughout, or what Bourne would call them-"headaches" and one is so bad he is on all fours. He doesn't want to kill people, and he apologizes to one of the girl agents for it. he also has many chances to kill many people, but he doesn't. Bourne is just so darn sneaky and rescourceful and smart. He has tons of tricks up his sleeve, and he is aware of his surroundings. This movie is good for older kids, because younger kids might not get the point of it. My 10 year old brother fell asleep in all of the Bourne movies. The flashbacks of his testing beforebecoming an assasin includes shooting a blindfolded man, and he is thrown into a tub of water handcuffed, and with a bag over his head. Then they have a cage top put onto the tub and after a few seconds they pull him out. The kiss with his girlfriend is nothing that you haven't seen before. The Bourne Identity is a really great movie. It has hardly any language, even at parts where there definetly would be in a lot of other movies. A+++++++!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

worstsitever
kid, 13 years old
 
Aweome film
Awesome at smart action thriller. Best in the trilogy yet!

Oreo3333333333
parent of and 4 , 7 , 9 , 12 year old
 
REALLY GOOD MOVIE. Just a bit to much...
This movie is one of the best movies I have ever seen. There is just a bit too much suspense and violence for kids under 10. Mild swearing. And a flashback of Bourne ( Matt Damon ) kissing Marie ( dead wife )

 
amazing movie with 99.9% no sex, and not a lot of language. the fight scenes are realistic but not over-the-top gore. every second of violence is part of the movie- nothing is just shown for the sake of showing it.

 
Media is allowing too much to filter through to our children. May seem cool, but definately too much violence/suspense for a pre/mid-teen to see. Great ADULT film though!!

 
Absolutely unrelenting
Although the trilogy continues to not follow the book in almost all cases outside of some characters, the movie's plot itself is solid enough. It doesn't exactly break any great ground from what you would expect, but thanks to Greengrass' directing-- especially his constand use of a handheld camera-- it still manages to grab you in and never let go until the ending. That's actually a great sign of Greengrass' skill, since basically the entire movie is a bunch of chase and fight scenes connected to each other. But despite how negative that sounds, there is almost nothing that could have made the movie better. It efficiently combines the action of the first and the seriousness of the second, and caps off the trilogy almost perfectly. I would disagree that the movie deserves a red for violence, as it still has less than the first one (but more than the second). It's just that the movie carried over the serious tone of the second movie, and thus the action feels more heavy-handed. Other than that, there's not much content to worry about, other than some mild curses being muttered, but nothing serious. Let's just hope that the movies end here-- or at least that they don't follow the lackluster post-mortem sequels Eric van Lustbader has been writing since Ludlum's death.

fletchy
adult
 
WOW -- this is a great movie -- for adults
This movie is typical Bourne -- fantastic but intricate, violent and fast-moving. People get shot, things are blown up, there are car chases, foot races and any other type of chase you can imagine...all with guns blazing. A WOW for adults but I'd be hard-pressed to bring a teen under 17. This is serious mature material.

 
Fine for adults / older teens; would not recommend for kids/tweens
Interesting plot and story line. However, lots of violence and language. Some sexual scenes.

MasterMan 721
kid, 12 years old
 
Action
This a great movie! Like when bourne is trying to save a news guy at the train station. The movie is not as bad as it looks on the cover.

mamamia0709
parent of 15 year old
 
The best of the three
Very fast paced and action packed. The best of the the Bourne stories turned into a movie so far. Great discussion tool for older kids about morality, loyalty and tenacity. The cinematography is a bit tight and gave me a headache but other than that it's one I will see again.

 
Blown away
First of all, let me say that I rated the first two movies, and really wish I could change them. This series is fantastic, and I must have been really tired or something to have rated them the way I did. This is without a doubt the best spy trilogy I have ever seen. It does an amazing job of presenting the suspense and keeping you on the edge of your seat. I'm going to take the time to sort of rate the trilogy rather than this one movie, since I won't be able to re-rate the first two. I won't give you a plot summary, because the tiniest thing can give something away. I was not too happy that CSM stated Marie's death happened, but I suppose if you've seen the second movie, you would know that. Another thing I would like to set straight that CSM misinterpreted, was when Bourne appears to be kissing Marie in the water, he is really administering CPR, not kissing her. Now for the stuff parents would like to know. There is a LOT of violence in this, and there is a lot of blood shown, especially in car accidents. Two people are shown strangled to dead, and someone shoots themselves in the head (though the camera is averted). There are extremely intense vehicle chases, and lots of loud and exciting gunfights, but the action doesn't take up all the movie, as in Mission Impossible 2. The plot is very good. I won't give anything away, but in this movie are nearly all of the elements a good spy movie needs. Ok, back to content. The first movie without a doubt has the worst language, especially near the end, with it getting a little tamer in the second one, and a lot tamer in the third. The first movie has two F words, which is uncommon for PG-13, though one is only mouthed, so you won’t see it unless you are adept at reading lips. There’s a lot of God da*ns, especially at an argument near the end. The second movie has near the same amount of other language, but one yelled F word. There is no F word in the third one, and the worst language in that is sh*t, which is used a lot in most movies anyway. The reason I give this movie an R is because of the language. The language in the first movie is quite strong for a PG-13, and I have seen movies that had nearly nothing bad in them besides one F word, and the rating was R. There is also a lot of violence in it. However, just because I think that’s what it should have been rated, doesn’t mean I think only 17 and up should see it. I think these are good 14+ films, as they will definitely look up to Bourne as a role model, and this movie will likely appeal more to teens anyway. There is definitely a message in this movie. I’m going to put a SPOILER warning here, because I don’t want to spoil the message for anyone. You can sort of see it happening throughout the whole movie, but Bourne realizes that killing people is wrong, and doesn’t want to be an assassin anymore. This is a lesson not often explored in movies like this, and I think it may be worth seeing just for that. I’m going to sum this up by restating that these movies are most likely the best spy movies or all around action movies I have ever seen, and anyone 14 and up should definitely see this.

 
Stunning, Breath-Taking, and all around Brilliant!
I have been around reading reviews for movies for a while, but just recently decided to review on them. And this was my list so here i go. The Bourne Ultimatum, is the third in the Bourne serious, they are all exceptional movie, and all have 5 stars in my book. But this particular one, is one of the mist terrific films of the decade, its is up and still standing at number 5 of my alltime favorites,only to 300, Ironman, Leathal Weapon, and The origanl Matrix, and Casino Royal. This is aphenoominal movie. Violence is heavy, language is on and off throughout the movie. Sexual scenes are found no where. This mile-a-minute- thriller is a must see for all.

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