Top Movies of the Decade #94

94. The Bourne Ultimatum

I don’t think anyone had as much impact on the way action movies were made in the 21st century as Paul Greengrass did.   (Okay, maybe Michael Bay.  But I’m talking about positive impact.)   And his many imitators have shown that his style is anything but easy to duplicate:  the action scenes in the last two Bourne movies are both smart and frenetic, immediate and intense without ever being confusing or bewildering.   You always know where you are in a Greengrass action sequence, and given that he films primarily with handhelds, that’s saying something.   Something I can’t say about Michael Bay’s action sequences.

So while the plot of the Bourne trilogy is nothing terrible original or interesting, the movies remain a joy to watch.   Each one was better than the last; that’s also saying something (I, ahem, also can’t say about Michael Bay movies.)    “Supremacy” added the wonderful Joan Allen and always underrated David Strathairn to the mix, as well taking the character development up several notches.    I hear there’s a new “Bourne” flick in the works; and I’ll say this:  if Greengrass isn’t directing, I’m not interested.