THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM

Jesus Christ, it's Jason Bourne. That's right - everyone's favourite amnesiac former CIA operative turned fugitive took his global game of cat and mouse to the UK capital in the third film of the franchise, The Bourne Ultimatum.

Matt Damon as Jason Bourne

In the film by Paul Greengrass, we find Jason Bourne caught up once again with the CIA through a reporter from the Guardian and the mysterious 'blackbriar' codeword. In fact, the London section of the movie (roughly 15 minutes) is used to set up much of the premise for the film. Given that it's only 15 minutes, there aren't a lot of locations to note - although shout out to Heathrow airport which does feature, and the tube that Matt Damon jumps on and off to get around!

In case you need a refresher, there is only one location of extreme significance - but it is one of the most important scenes in the film, fast-paced and suspenseful, and is also personally one of my favourite Jason Bourne moments in the entire franchise. 

WATERLOO STATION

 I spent five days a week for almost two months commuting through Waterloo as my main train station for work. It is a grand, beautiful station - an atmosphere among the likes of Flinders Street or Grand Central Station. When I was there, I felt it was familiar for some reason that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. 
Then one day it hit me that of the many train stations in London, it was this station, my station, where Matt Damon kicking serious ass was committed to celluloid for the good of film history. I'm honestly embarrassed by how cool this instantly made me feel (if you ever doubt the impact of these films, just note that the day after I watched the Bourne movies for the first time I went and got a gym membership, no I'm not kidding). Suddenly my daily commute wasn’t just a dreary eyed trudge through crowds of people, but rather every day became a reminder that I too, could take the same steps as the *fictional* best assassin from America. 

If any of you have had a film crew come to your town, and seen the transition of what you always considered a regular place into somewhere you see onscreen or a backdrop to A-listers - leave a comment below! It truly is a bizarre feeling.

Okay, okay, enough about me and more about Waterloo.

Waterloo Station is 170 years old (!!!) and also Britain's busiest train station - no wonder Jason Bourne chose it as a great place to meet incognito. It is the second busiest underground station, with around 100.3 million journeys each year. Wowza.

Tips and Tricks: The easy part is that you could drop by Waterloo as part of your day or commute to other destinations. It is close to both Southwark and Lambeth. Being a central London terminus, Waterloo is easy to get to, featuring both an underground station and also national rail. There are also several bus lines which stop at Waterloo Station - if you are feeling extra touristy, a trip on a double decker bus over the Waterloo Bridge allows for a great view of the Thames and delivers you into the West End district. If travelling, it is likely you will need an oyster card. However, one-way and daily tickets are available. 

The front entrance of Waterloo Station

WHERE TO GO: Waterloo Road, Lambeth, London SE1 8SW

TIMES: Depends on whether you are travelling via the underground or network rail.

The network times are listed below:

Monday to Friday: 04:30 - 01:05 

Saturday: 04:30 - 01:45  Sunday: 05:30 - 01:05

Single-way tickets for National Rail

Oyster Card

City Mapper app

The underground is a little trickier as it sometimes can depend on the train line - open throughout the day, if you are planning on travelling late at night or very early morning it is best to check for the specific day you are travelling/visiting. I would recommend using the City mapper app (available on iPhone and Android) - it tells you the times for both the tube and bus lines. 

I've attached a picture of Waterloo Station on google maps below ⇓