The Bourne Ultimatum movie poster
Poster © Universal Pictures. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
GenreAction, Mystery & Thriller
RatedPG-13
Runtime1 hr 55 mins
ReleasedAugust 3, 2007
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorPaul Greengrass
StarringMatt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

movie.guru URL: https://movie.guru/the-bourne-ultimatum-movie-review
The Bourne Ultimatum's Details
GenreAction, Mystery & Thriller
RatedPG-13
Released07/25/2007 (ArcLight Hollywood); 08/03/2007 (United States)
StreamingSee Where to Watch on this page.
Running Time1 hr 55 mins
Budget$110–130M (reported)
Box OfficeUpdated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below.
Based OnThe Bourne Ultimatum by Robert Ludlum
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
The Bourne Ultimatum's Interests
GeneralBurner phones, rooftop chases, newspaper archives, crowded train stations, shaky handheld cameras.
MusicJohn Powell, plus Moby's "Extreme Ways" over the end credits, as is tradition.
MoviesThe Bourne Identity (2002). Where the memory loss started.
TelevisionJack Ryan. More CIA, slightly better memory.
HeroesPamela Landy. The only person at the CIA who reads the whole file.
The Bourne Ultimatum's Crew
DirectorPaul Greengrass
WritersTony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns, George Nolfi, Tony Gilroy (story)
ProducersFrank Marshall, Patrick Crowley, Paul L. Sandberg
CinematographyOliver Wood
MusicJohn Powell
Edited ByChristopher Rouse
ProductionUniversal Pictures, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Ludlum Entertainment
Distributed ByUniversal Pictures
The Bourne Ultimatum's Trailer
Official Trailer • Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers
How The Bourne Ultimatum Performed
movie guru's TLDR

Plot-wise, The Bourne Ultimatum is the last movie in a new jacket: same chase, same office full of CIA people staring at screens, same missing memories. Nicky Parsons gets more screen time and still almost no personality, and the shaky cam is cranked even harder. None of it matters, because this is the best one by a mile. The Waterloo Station sequence, with Bourne steering a reporter through a crowd over the phone, is one of the tensest stretches in any action movie. Then the Tangier rooftop chase ends in an apartment fight with a hardcover book and a towel that looks like it actually hurts. David Strathairn plays the man in charge like a guy who has never once been told no. Matt Damon barely talks and somehow says everything. That’s 115 minutes with no fat on them at all. A 9.1 because it takes a familiar plot and runs it so fast and clean you stop caring. $24.35 says you call a friend this week and try to guide them through a crowded store like you’re Bourne.

What works: The Waterloo Station sequence and the Tangier chase are some of the best action filmmaking of their decade.

What doesn’t: The story is a near copy of the last film, and Nicky Parsons still has almost nothing to do.

Who it’s for: Anyone who likes action that moves like a stopwatch and never stops to explain itself.

Spoilers

Simon Ross is shot at Waterloo before he can reveal his source. Bourne learns from Dr. Hirsch that he volunteered for Treadstone, Landy leaks the Blackbriar files, and Bourne survives a fall into the East River, swimming away as Nicky smiles at the news.

Guru’s Take
9.1/10
Elite
The Bourne Ultimatum's Blurbs
About me:

Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is still running, still hurt and still missing most of his memory. Then Simon Ross (Paddy Considine), a reporter at the Guardian, publishes a story about him and mentions a secret program called Blackbriar, and the CIA very much notices. Deputy Director Noah Vosen (David Strathairn) wants Bourne found fast. Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) thinks somebody should try talking to him first. Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), who knew Bourne back in the Treadstone days, is stuck somewhere in the middle. Paul Greengrass directs. One hundred fifteen minutes, rooftops included.

Who I'd like to meet:

Anyone with answers about Treadstone. He'll find you before you find him.

The Bourne Ultimatum's Friend Space
The Bourne Ultimatum's Top 8
Matt DamonMatt DamonJason Bourne
Julia StilesJulia StilesNicky Parsons
Scott GlennScott GlennEzra Kramer
Paddy ConsidinePaddy ConsidineSimon Ross
Albert FinneyAlbert FinneyDr. Albert Hirsch
View All of The Bourne Ultimatum's Friends
The Bourne Ultimatum's Cast (in credits order)
Matt DamonJason Bourne
Julia StilesNicky Parsons
David StrathairnNoah Vosen
Scott GlennEzra Kramer
Paddy ConsidineSimon Ross
Édgar RamírezPaz
Albert FinneyDr. Albert Hirsch
Joan AllenPamela "Pam" Landy
Tom GallopTom Cronin
Corey JohnsonRay Wills
Daniel BrühlMartin Kreutz
Full cast and crew on IMDb.
The Bourne Ultimatum's Edit History
Every change to this page, newest first. Movie data updates are logged like any other edit.
  • (cur | prev) 14:30, 17 October 2026 DataBot +120 Numbers refreshed: Rotten Tomatoes 92%; Rotten Tomatoes critics 92% (263 reviews); movie.guru score 9.3 → 9.2.
  • (cur | prev) 12:00, 17 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.