19 August, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Matt Damon calls James Bond a misogynist! And an imperialist! Ah, you gotta love it. More on this in a moment.
Today I went to see The Bourne Ultimatum. In general, I’m not a fan of action movies and summer Hollywood blockbusters, not because I don’t like pop culture, but because these movies are usually so stupid they’re unbearable to watch. In light of this, the Bourne movies are really exceptional. They’re primarily entertainment, obviously, but they feature great actors, an actual story as opposed to dumbed-down idiocy, fab European locations, a lack of computer-generated effects and they even make the audience think about U.S. foreign policy post-9/11. Not too bad for a popcorn flick.
This latest installment has many scenes in London, including a long extended sequence at Waterloo! I spend way too much time in Waterloo and it was really freaky to see it on the big screen, with all the shops, the station announcements (including the dreaded Southwest Trains voice of God – ARRGGGHHH!) and the surrounding neighborhood streets. It was completely authentic in every way and had every detail just right. At one point, one of the bad guys even ran though the W.H. Smith porn shop.
Even though these movies are extremely violent and are really just about men killing one another, they are much different than the usual Hollywood fare where women are concerned. Matt Damon’s character is not a pig trying to ogle and pick up on women. The women in the film are not sex objects at all. Joan Allen’s character breaks stereotypes. Julia Stiles as a CIA agent defies belief, not because of her looks but because she seems to be too dense to operate a parking meter, let alone work as a secret agent. But it’s rare for a major Hollywood franchise not to feature women as eye candy and bimbos. It’s a refreshing change. It undermines the assertion by Hollywood studios that such tactics are the only way to sell tickets and make money. Well, that’s not entirely fair. I guess if you have no talent as a filmmaker or actor, you must rely on lots of silicone-enhanced cleavage, given that you have nothing else to offer.
Anyway, the media have been making comparisons between Jason Bourne and James Bond. They’re both secret agents, they’re both action movie heroes, they even have the same initials. The director of The Bourne Ultimatum said: “The Bourne franchise is not about wearing Prada suits and looking at women coming out of the sea with bikinis on. It’s about essence and truth, not frippery and surface.”
And here’s what Matt Damon said at the London premiere:
“The Bond thing, I understand the comparison because they are both agents and it’s the world of espionage and all, but the characters are so fundamentally different they almost don’t bear comparison.
“Bond is an imperialist and a misogynist who kills people and laughs about it, and drinks Martinis and cracks jokes.
“Bourne is a serial monogamist whose girlfriend is dead and he does nothing but think about her.
“He doesn’t have the support of gadgets, and he feels guilty for what he’s done.”
Hurrah for Matt! I really hate James Bond. Always have. He’s a vile misogynist pig and the Bond films embody everything that is wrong with Hollywood’s treatment of women. I love that a big star like Matt Damon made these remarks.
You’ve done us Boston folk proud, Matt! Good on you, boy!
[Thanks to The F Word.]
[tags]Bourne Ultimatum, Matt Damon[/tags]
Anglofille said @ 7:09 pm | film | 2 Comments
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I knew I liked him for a reason. (Matt, that is – not James.)
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The 007 franchise is, I think, the film industry’s own version of Hugh Hefner and violent masculinity all rolled up into one. When there’s been a rotating cast of white, heterosexual 30-40 something men playing the same static role for generations…and just as the director and Damon said, living life without consequence, associating globe-trotting and saving the world as also having sex with this and that woman while saying lines like “I thought Christmas only came once a year”…all while then having absolutely no real emotional vulnerabilities whatsoever.
But kudos to Damon. I actually just saw this the other day with a friend and it was completely surprising and refreshing to see a movie where they didn’t mix in violence with clothes-ripping Mr. & Mrs. Smith sex scenes.
