The Bourne Ultimatum

A former covert operative trying to stay hidden is pulled back into the open when a young reporter begins publishing exposes about a secret program tied to his past. Those articles trigger a return of fragmented memories, and he sets off to link scattered clues to the agency that trained and then abandoned him. As he digs, he keeps ahead of highly trained operatives and internal politics, enlisting a few uneasy allies while avoiding assassination attempts and legal traps, all the while chasing a clearer picture of who he was and what was done to him.

Released in 2007 and directed by Paul Greengrass, the film was written by Tony Gilroy, George Nolfi, and Scott Z. Burns, and continues the franchise based on Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne novels, with Matt Damon returning as the title character and Julia Stiles as a critical ally.

The movie was a major commercial hit, reinforcing the Bourne series as a tentpole action franchise and helping guarantee further sequels and related projects in the years that followed.

Critics and audiences responded well, reflected in a solid 7.4/10 vote average from viewers, with particular praise for its relentless pacing and grounded combat. Reviewers often noted the film's interrogation of identity and memory, and its skeptical view of clandestine government operations, all delivered through tense, tightly edited sequences and a cinéma verite camera approach that keeps things immediate.

Its kinetic chase scenes and hand-held cinematography left a mark on action filmmaking, influencing how many later spy thrillers staged close-quarters fights and urban pursuits. The film helped cement Bourne as a template for more realistic espionage pictures and kept several set pieces in the popular imagination as examples of modern action staging.