With cinema hits like ‘The Rainmaker’, ‘Saving Private Ryan’ or ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ and his Oscar for ‘Good Will Hunting’ to his name, Matt Damon was already a world star before he got the role of Jason Bourne. taken over.
The American only grew into a true action hero as an ex-CIA agent who suffered from amnesia. For us, The Bourne Ultimatum is the best installment of the five-film series based on Robert Ludlum’s novels. In our official FILMSTARTS review, we give Paul Greengrass’ (“Captain Phillips”) directing an excellent 4.5 stars.
Today, January 22, you can check if we are right about that, if “The Bourne Ultimatum” at 10.30 pm on RTL 2. The broadcaster shows a repeat that same evening at 3:55 am. If both dates are too late for you, you can stream the thriller at any time and at no extra cost as part of your Amazon Prime Video subscription – preferably in the 4K/UltraHD version with particularly high image quality. Or you can order the DVD or Blu-ray – there’s also a 4K version here:
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This is the story of “The Bourne Ultimatum” on RTL 2
Still on the run and in the dark about his own past, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is faced with the task of collecting the last building blocks of his identity. However, he must realize that his former employer, a secret subdivision of the American secret service CIA, is still trying to eliminate him by any means necessary.
Apparently, restoring his memory could have unpleasant consequences for powerful people within the service and even the government. For the hitman program from which Bourne emerged was by no means stopped, but was even secretly expanded without any legal sanctions.
Bourne’s investigations pose a direct threat to those responsible, Noah Vosen (David Strathairn). Together with his only ally, CIA agent Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), Bourne embarks on a dangerous investigation that will take him from Madrid to Tangier, Morocco, to New York City. New assassins sent by Vosen are always hot on his heels…
Jason Bourne gives James Bond a kick in the ass
Until 2002, the James Bond films were considered the pinnacle of well-produced widescreen espionage action. But then the Jason Bourne series started and suddenly everything was different. Directors Doug Liman, Tony Gilroy and especially Paul Greengrass woke up the agent genre with their work and Matt Damon in the title role.
The Bourne thrillers were far more dynamic, grittier and authentic than anything previously offered in this blockbuster format. Jason Bourne was also a rough hero, not a slick jack-of-all-trades who never really seemed to get into trouble. The debut “The Bourne Identity”, which was released in cinemas in September 2002, was extremely exciting and also performed in an edgy way. The Bond adventure Die Another Day, released two months later, seemed tamer and like a relic from another era long gone.
The worldwide mega hit was followed in 2004 by The Bourne Supremacy and its predecessor was even surpassed in terms of action and suspense. The creators of 007 felt compelled to respond. Pierce Brosnan was released from the iconic role and in “Casino Royale” Daniel Craig debuted as a much younger and especially tougher-looking Bond, who also seemed to have taken over several other properties of his new competitor.
The Bourne series, on the other hand, continued undeterred and followed in the form of “The Bourne Ultimatum” with the excellent third part. The film was a worldwide box office success, grossing over $440 million in total. As part of the 2008 Oscars, the creators also received three statues in the categories “Best Editing”, “Best Sound” and “Best Sound Editing”.
In addition to Matt Damon, several other top stars were in front of the camera for “The Bourne Ultimatum”. Here you can also experience David Strathairn (“The Song of the Crayfish”), Julia Stiles (“Hustlers”), Joan Allen (“Apollo 13”) and Scott Glenn (“The stuff heroes are made of”). Also in key parts: Paddy Considine (“House Of The Dragon”), Édgar Ramírez (“Zero Dark Thirty”), Albert Finney (“Erin Brockovich”) and Daniel Brühl (“The Falcon And The Winter Soldier”).
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