The unsung hero of the Bourne Ultimatum is a reporter from the Guardian newspaper of London. The fact that the name of the paper is referenced no fewer than three times within the first half hour of the film leads me to think the writers Tony Gilroy and Scott Burns, not to mention the director Paul Greengrass are trying to get our attention. This same newspaper is home to Greg Palast, American expatriate and investigative reporter who uncovered, among other things, the purge of Florida voter rolls that threw the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush.

A recent interview with Mr. Greengrass by Elvis Mitchell of the Treatment reveals the socio-political underpinnings of his work and may explain his attraction to a remorseful anti-spy like Jason Bourne. As Manhola Dargis writes in her review of the movie, ” It embraces an ethos that’s at odds with the no pain, no gain, no brain mind-set that characterizes too many such flicks. Namely remorse: in these movies, you don’t just feel Bourne’s hurt, you feel the hurt of everyone he kills.”

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