In the old Humphrey Bogart detective era, the action always centered on the cigarette. It was a prop used to masterly effect by Bogie and others to...

Although it is government agents who are using all this technology, it is all off-the-shelf stuff that many of us use in our daily lives, although for much more mundane purposes.

This past weekend, my wife and I saw "The Bourne Ultimatum," a rip-roaring yarn if ever there was one. I enjoyed it immensely and may see it again, not because I give a rip about CIA shenanigans behind our hero’s amnesia, but because I want to marvel at how the screenwriters use all the business tools of modern life to such dramatic effect in an action movie.I am a big fan of the hard-boiled detective film noir genre, and Jason Bourne is about as close as one gets these days to a tough guy hero with honor and a conscience. In the old Humphrey Bogart detective era, the action always centered around the cigarette. It was a prop used to masterly effect by Bogie and others to project calm and confidence under stress, as if to say, "Hey, if I have time to light up, I have time to clean your clock whenever I want."

Today, our action hero must be a master of the cell phone. Lord knows how many were used and destroyed in making "The Bourne Ultimatum." Without the cell phone, the action just could not have progressed as rapidly as it did. OK, Barron, you have made your point, but what has this to do with economics and liberty?My point is that the Bourne series of movies (this is the third and, I hope, not the last) showcase Western, private, technological progress as no other films have. The James Bond movies were high-tech in a different way, using one-of-a-kind weapons that had to cost bundles of taxpayer money and could not be used for any other purpose. But Jason Bourne buys a cell phone from a kiosk at London’s Waterloo Station, activates it in seconds and drops it into his newspaper reporter contact’s pocket without having to ask Q to show him how it works.

Of course, computers are used throughout the movie to check identities, broadcast pictures of intended victims - to cell phones! - and tap into live TV monitors that are increasingly spying upon us unawares. In fact the now-passe fax machine plays an important role toward the end of the movie, but I don’t want to give away the ending to those who have yet to see the movie.

Although it is government agents who are using all this technology, it is all off-the-shelf stuff that many of us use in our daily lives, although for much more mundane purposes. Even the high-speed trains (although mostly owned and operated by government agencies in Europe) - which our hero uses to crisscross the continent - were designed and built by private enterprise. In fact, our hero travels on several modes of privately developed transport from the high-speed trains and planes to the lowly scooter. All built and used by private citizens and not for the exclusive use of governments.

Perhapshereas few of us ever expect to fly a supersonic fighter, much less ride that is what is most appealing about the Bourne movies. Wthe Apollo spacecraft to the moon, we all can travel as does Jason Bourne. And when we get to Waterloo Station we can buy a cheap cell phone, activate it, and, well, call to reserve tea-for-two at Claridges. Why not?

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