Post by hassan1024 on Jul 31, 2007 22:04:07 GMT 3
Over the past five years, audiences have eagerly followed Bourne’s perilous journey. When "The Bourne Identity” was released in 2002, moviegoers were enthralled by the film’s independent vision that put a distinct postmillennial spin on the action-spy genre.
To direct the second in the series, "The Bourne Supremacy,” the producers turned to Paul Greengrass, a British filmmaker who had garnered critical and audience raves for his documentary and feature films – such as the internationally acclaimed "Bloody Sunday” and "Omagh.” Though he was transitioning into big-budget filmmaking, Greengrass would retain his signature handheld cameras and style of lightning-quick edits while continuing the series’ storyline of one man against a clandestine government program.
Greengrass’ career exploded with the thriller and his follow-up work as writer/director of 2006’s "United 93.” The unflinching drama told the story of the passengers and crew, their families on the ground, and the flight controllers who watched in dawning horror as United Airlines Flight 93 became the fourth hijacked plane on the day of the worst terrorist attacks on American soil: September 11, 2001. Greengrass’ efforts and the film would both be put on countless top-10 lists, and earn the director his first Academy Award nomination for Best Director.
Now, Greengrass brings the rogue hero back to find answers about who and what Bourne is – and who made him that way – in "The Bourne Ultimatum.” This need for closure is what made Greengrass want to return to the series. "Bourne is a real man in a real world in pursuit of a mythic quest,” he reflects. "What’s wonderful is that it’s an oppositional story. Is he a killer, or was he made to be a killer? There is an underlying feeling that Bourne is one of us, and he’s running away from ‘them.’ He’s trying to get the answers, and he doesn’t trust them. They’re all bad, and the system’s corrupted. To convey that with a sense of excitement in a very contemporary landscape is great fun.”
In the world of action choreography, chase sequences and intricate plot switchbacks, the Bourne series has set a new standard for an entire genre. With an innovative story structure that rewards fans who have followed the series and thrills those new to it, "The Bourne Ultimatum” explodes with twists and surprises. Capitalizing on the increasing stature of Damon and a cast of award-winning supporting talent in "The Bourne Ultimatum,” internationally lauded filmmaker Greengrass understands that audiences demand intelligent espionage stories complete with heart-wrenching emotion and mind-boggling action. Here’s what he had to tell us about directing the third installment of the Bourne franchise:
full interview
