Go see “Bourne Ultimatum”
This series is based (loosely) on the books by Robert Ludlum. They retain they basic theme although many other elements that I wish they had also retained were sacrificed to maintain an action pacing.
What about the “PG-13” Rating?
I have been critical of the action sequences in the past. They are over edited, either for style or to cover up the fact that Matt Damon isn't Jet Li or Jackie Chan. Other than that there's no nudity or excess violence. There are only fight scenes, one depicting a guy being strangled.
One of the themes of the film is the extent some people go to in order to play the spy game. Some people get caught up in the game and use their patriotism as an excuse to be barbaric. To me all the violence is justified by one scene, where Bourne doesn't kill the assassin sent after him, because he remembers the torture it took to turn him into a killer, and he realizes that it can all change. The assassin chases him down to ask him why and with very little dialogue we see a man learn about identity.
Larger Story
The main theme of these books captivates my attention. Super assassin Jason Bourne becomes involved in an accident that gives him amnesia. It echoes Socrates idea that we knew everything before we were born and then forgot it upon entering the world, only to spend our lives rediscovering knowledge and wisdom. Only in the Bourne series the suspense comes from the question, “is Jason Bourne a better man without his assassin identity?” In the first movie, “the Bourne Identity,” Jason discovers that his amnesia might have less to do with his accident than with an attack of conscience which won't let him be who he has become.
There are two possible larger story themes here. First, how much of our past must we deal with after conversion? When we make a change to who we are doesn't our past line up to steal that positive move away from us?
The second theme that I like better is this. Bourne was obviously something incredible, but he lives in a fallen state. While he's tempted to believe that his knew ignorance could be a blessing he finds himself unable to move on with life until he discovers who he really is. The truth is that who he really is, lays deeper than the identity he can't remember. This resonates with me. I think I was designed for more than I've become in this world. Before accepting the reality of the world I've been born into, there is everything God designed me to be. Like Jason Bourne, I'm on a life-long quest to rediscover the deeper truer things about me.
Jp