The Bourne Ultimatum
“Planning the Punches” Featurette
It’s not every day that you get to say that you got to fight Jason Bourne. For Joey Ansah, who plays Desh in The Bourne Ultimatum, that was just another day at the office. Check out the “Planning the Punches” extra in our “Making of Featurettes” section to see how some of the fight scenes from The Bourne Ultimatum were meticulously planned and choregraphed for actors like Joey Ansah himself.
What you’ll learn while watching this Bourne exclusive is that there is a specific fighting-style that has been used for all of the installments in the Bourne trilogy. According to fight stunt coordinator Jeff Imada, “the type of martial arts we’re using in the Bourne films have been basically a background in Filipino Kali [with] a bit of Bruce Lee stuff tied in.” However, this isn’t your typical kind of combat. As you can tell, the punches and kicks are extremely fast and can be quite brutal to an opponent when successfully landed. Of course, though, these scenes are sped up in post-production.
When you see Matt Damon and Joey Ansah actually filming the scene, it is at a much slower pace than what you would have expected. Staging a fight scene is almost like choregraphing a dance – there’s a routine you have to follow, and you are working alongside a partner to get the proper rhythm down.
Obviously, Damon and Ansah weren’t practicing for a recital while filming The Bourne Ultimatum. They had to make the fight as realistic as possible without forgetting the staging and movements they had went over prior to the shoot. Matt Damon agrees when he says. “I’m never going to learn how to really fight, and it’s not about that. It’s more for me like learning a dance.” It may be a dance to Matt Damon, but on-screen, it’s all about fighting for Jason Bourne.
As you will see in this featurette, using things found in the environment to fight has become one of the key staples of the Bourne franchise. Who can forget when Jason Bourne used a pen during one of the most memorable fight scenes in The Bourne Identity? In The Bourne Ultimatum, the crew wanted to make everything a potential weapon for Bourne. Whether it be a hardcover book or a pedestal ashtray, everything was free game for Bourne.
With all the choreography and props thrown into the mix, The Bourne Ultimatum crew was able to create a truly believable fight scene between Matt Damon and Joey Ansah. Even though no actual punches were thrown, you can still feel the impact while watching the movie. With the addition of sound effects, you’ll actually believe that there was a legit brawl on set. Despite that, no actors were harmed during the making of this scene.
If you’re looking to get an inside look on all the action of The Bourne Ultimatum, buy the movie on 4k Ultra HD, DVD, Digital, or Blu-rayTM to watch all of the behind-the-scenes content and exclusives. *
*Bonus features are only available at select digital retailers. Check the retailer for details.
Like this article? Read more about the making of The Bourne Ultimatum here: