Jason Bourne - directed by Paul Greengrass
Screenplay: Paul Greengrass & Christopher Rouse
Nine years after the last Matt Damon Bourne movie he is back.
Jason Bourne that is and how could we forget?
The posters tell us that we 'know the name' and in case we don't it is printed across the bottom anyway.
Jason Bourne.
In quick time it became an iconic movie name.
Credited with reinvigorating the spy thriller genre at a time when Bond had gone off the rails and into almost comedy territory the original three movies were (and still are) highly entertaining.
Then there was a non-Bourne movie the title of which seemed to confuse a lot of people.
The Jeremy Renner starring "The Bourne Legacy" wasn't about Jason Bourne and didn't perform as well as the movies that were.
Personally I loved the film but there are many who consider it a mere pretender.
"Jason Bourne" arrives marketed to let us know that it is here to show us how a Bourne film is really done.
This film follows on a few years from where we last left Jason Bourne swimming away to safety and a new life.
He is taking part in fist fights for money and living off the grid.
His old cohort Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles looking more and more like Diane Lane every year) digs up some new information about the CIA programmes that created Jason Bourne and before you can say 'Let's walk briskly around major cities looking serious as tense music plays' both Nicky and Jason Bourne are being hunted again.
This time the chase is being fronted by CIA Director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) and his Cyber expert Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander).
This being a changed world from last time the technology utilised in tracking the fugitives down is even more intrusive and amazing.
There are the old favourites the CCTV cameras, satellites and computer network traces but now we have smart phones and even social media to aid in the hunt.
A Facebook-esque company named Deep Dream (yeah- really) run by a charismatic young entrepreneur is involved somehow too.
There is a very transparent attempt to make the film current - all about the stuff the kids talk about you know.
There is a scene amidst an austerity protest / riot in Greece very early on for example.
Snowden is mentioned more than once as is the trade off between freedom and security.
And a lot of talk about how our activity on Social Media is being tracked by government agencies.
For all of that though there is still the old Bourne movie man vs man going on.
Previously we had ruthless thugs played by Clive Owen, Karl Urban and Marton Csokas tangling in hand to hand and gun combat with Bourne.
This time it is Vincent Cassel.
There is in fact the sense that this film is a greatest hits of sorts.
I lost count of how many scenes seemed derived from those of the first three movies.
Bourne and a woman racing off in a vehicle as a man with a high powered rifle positions himself for a shot - check.
Bourne evading a squad of agents swarming on his location by using crowds - check.
Bourne surveilling his carefully tricked opponents from a vantage point of his choosing with a telescopic sight - check.
A high impact car chase through the busy streets of a foreign land - check.
And most noticeably of all- the pounding score and the shaky camera - Big check.
Yes- this is a Paul Greengrass movie and in case we had forgotten how terribly jerky his camera shots are this film is here to remind us.
Unarmed combat is frequently hard to follow as the camera violently thrashes alongside the bodies with swinging arms and thrusting fists and feet.
And I swear the music is present for 90% of the film.
It is the same repetitive syncopated score that makes endless scenes of Jason Bourne walking briskly in and out of buildings and up and down stairways and elevators seem even more intense that the oh so serious look on his face.
It makes this film seem like a parody of itself.
It's ironic that a film series credited with shaking up a genre appears in need of one itself.
The plot here is pretty thin and involves a lot of events that weren't remotely hinted at previously.
Bourne had a Father who may have been involved in the programme?!
Bourne might actually really, secretly want to come back to his old job!?
Yes, it smacks of a sequel desperately trying to justify its existence in the extreme.
Having smacked this film around a bit I do need to shower some love on it too.
Damon is as great as you would expect playing his signature character.
His physique and intensity are back in droves - arguably to a greater level than ever before.
And director Greengrass may still be guilty of an ever moving camera but he still delivers a bunch of set pieces that are exciting.
New to the series Tommy Lee Jones and Alicia Vikander are also very, very good.
Vikander stands in for Joan Allen's Pamela Landry in a way but comes with ambitions and intentions that are much harder to read.
I love Vikander a lot and was pleased to see her get plenty of screen time.
As always with this series the women act from the sidelines from offices and in front of keyboards but Vikander nonetheless manages to make her character ruthlessly efficient and her intentions not entirely clear.
Vincent Cassel is an intimidating opponent too - every scene in which he appears feels like violence could erupt at any time.
The final scene - an elongated car chase, foot chase beat em up affair throws in every action trick in the book and is audaciously and expertly staged.
The film doesn't lack excitement - not at all.
Ultimately this is a solid film and one that I enjoyed despite a sense that it was merely repeating elements of the previous films without anything new to add to the plot.
Its two hour running time feels like less by about twenty minutes and that is a good sign.
I actually enjoyed the Bourne-less "The Bourne Legacy" more though in truth.
It had a style of its own and several top notch action sequences that didn't need camera tricks to make them exciting.
I would welcome a blending of the two strands - Matt Damon and Jeremy Renner teaming up could be incredible.
I don't doubt that this movie will do well enough to justify more so who knows- it could happen.
RATING: 72 / 100
CONCLUSION: A welcome return that works well enough to recommend and probably ensure another sequel but there is a staleness and an over reliance on the same old tricks and tropes that is worrying for the series long term prospects.
Starring: Matt Damon, Alicia Vikander, Julia Stiles, Tommy Lee Jones, Vincent Cassel, Riz Ahmed, Kamil Lemieszewski, Neve Gachev, Ato Essandoh, Mark Justice, Bill Camp, Alexander Cooper, Trevor White, Amy De Bhrun, Gregg Henry
Screenplay: Paul Greengrass & Christopher Rouse
Music Score by: David Buckley & John Powell
Cinematography: Barry Ackroyd
Edited by: Christopher Rouse
Running Time: 125 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - Violence and mild profanity
Cinematography: Barry Ackroyd
Edited by: Christopher Rouse
Running Time: 125 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - Violence and mild profanity
Jason Bourne that is and how could we forget?
The posters tell us that we 'know the name' and in case we don't it is printed across the bottom anyway.
Jason Bourne.
In quick time it became an iconic movie name.
Credited with reinvigorating the spy thriller genre at a time when Bond had gone off the rails and into almost comedy territory the original three movies were (and still are) highly entertaining.
Then there was a non-Bourne movie the title of which seemed to confuse a lot of people.
The Jeremy Renner starring "The Bourne Legacy" wasn't about Jason Bourne and didn't perform as well as the movies that were.
Personally I loved the film but there are many who consider it a mere pretender.
"Jason Bourne" arrives marketed to let us know that it is here to show us how a Bourne film is really done.
This film follows on a few years from where we last left Jason Bourne swimming away to safety and a new life.
He is taking part in fist fights for money and living off the grid.
His old cohort Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles looking more and more like Diane Lane every year) digs up some new information about the CIA programmes that created Jason Bourne and before you can say 'Let's walk briskly around major cities looking serious as tense music plays' both Nicky and Jason Bourne are being hunted again.
This time the chase is being fronted by CIA Director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) and his Cyber expert Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander).
This being a changed world from last time the technology utilised in tracking the fugitives down is even more intrusive and amazing.
There are the old favourites the CCTV cameras, satellites and computer network traces but now we have smart phones and even social media to aid in the hunt.
A Facebook-esque company named Deep Dream (yeah- really) run by a charismatic young entrepreneur is involved somehow too.
 |
| Matt Damon is back to punch, stare intensely and briskly walk the streets of the worlds majors cities |
There is a scene amidst an austerity protest / riot in Greece very early on for example.
Snowden is mentioned more than once as is the trade off between freedom and security.
And a lot of talk about how our activity on Social Media is being tracked by government agencies.
For all of that though there is still the old Bourne movie man vs man going on.
Previously we had ruthless thugs played by Clive Owen, Karl Urban and Marton Csokas tangling in hand to hand and gun combat with Bourne.
This time it is Vincent Cassel.
There is in fact the sense that this film is a greatest hits of sorts.
I lost count of how many scenes seemed derived from those of the first three movies.
Bourne and a woman racing off in a vehicle as a man with a high powered rifle positions himself for a shot - check.
Bourne evading a squad of agents swarming on his location by using crowds - check.
Bourne surveilling his carefully tricked opponents from a vantage point of his choosing with a telescopic sight - check.
A high impact car chase through the busy streets of a foreign land - check.
And most noticeably of all- the pounding score and the shaky camera - Big check.
Yes- this is a Paul Greengrass movie and in case we had forgotten how terribly jerky his camera shots are this film is here to remind us.
Unarmed combat is frequently hard to follow as the camera violently thrashes alongside the bodies with swinging arms and thrusting fists and feet.
And I swear the music is present for 90% of the film.
It is the same repetitive syncopated score that makes endless scenes of Jason Bourne walking briskly in and out of buildings and up and down stairways and elevators seem even more intense that the oh so serious look on his face.
It makes this film seem like a parody of itself.
It's ironic that a film series credited with shaking up a genre appears in need of one itself.
The plot here is pretty thin and involves a lot of events that weren't remotely hinted at previously.
Bourne had a Father who may have been involved in the programme?!
Bourne might actually really, secretly want to come back to his old job!?
Yes, it smacks of a sequel desperately trying to justify its existence in the extreme.
 |
| Alicia Vikander as IT expert Heather Lee, Tommy Lee Jones is CIA Director Dewey & Vincent Cassel is hitman Dassault |
Damon is as great as you would expect playing his signature character.
His physique and intensity are back in droves - arguably to a greater level than ever before.
And director Greengrass may still be guilty of an ever moving camera but he still delivers a bunch of set pieces that are exciting.
New to the series Tommy Lee Jones and Alicia Vikander are also very, very good.
Vikander stands in for Joan Allen's Pamela Landry in a way but comes with ambitions and intentions that are much harder to read.
I love Vikander a lot and was pleased to see her get plenty of screen time.
As always with this series the women act from the sidelines from offices and in front of keyboards but Vikander nonetheless manages to make her character ruthlessly efficient and her intentions not entirely clear.
Vincent Cassel is an intimidating opponent too - every scene in which he appears feels like violence could erupt at any time.
The final scene - an elongated car chase, foot chase beat em up affair throws in every action trick in the book and is audaciously and expertly staged.
The film doesn't lack excitement - not at all.
Ultimately this is a solid film and one that I enjoyed despite a sense that it was merely repeating elements of the previous films without anything new to add to the plot.
Its two hour running time feels like less by about twenty minutes and that is a good sign.
I actually enjoyed the Bourne-less "The Bourne Legacy" more though in truth.
It had a style of its own and several top notch action sequences that didn't need camera tricks to make them exciting.
I would welcome a blending of the two strands - Matt Damon and Jeremy Renner teaming up could be incredible.
I don't doubt that this movie will do well enough to justify more so who knows- it could happen.
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