The narrative architect behind the Bourne film series, Tony Gilroy, takes the helm in the next chapter of the hugely popular espionage franchise: The Bourne Legacy.
It was always going to be hard to justify making a Bourne movie sans Jason Bourne without it looking like a brazen attempt to milk a profitable franchise for all it was worth, and yet writer /director Tony Gilroy (who adapted the first three 'Bourne' films from the novels by Robert Ludlum) manages to pull it off: For 'The Bourne Legacy' is a strong and engaging addition to the series and more than a match for its predecessors. In terms of its place in the narrative timeline, 'Legacy' takes place during 'The Bourne Ultimatum' and sees super-spy-in-training Aaron Cross (a subtle and charismatic Jeremy Renner) on the run, after CIA bureaucrats led by Col. Eric Byer (an excellent Ed Norton) decide to pull the plug on black-ops 'Operation Treadstone' (the secret programme used to train agent-turned-adversary; Jason Bourne) and kill off all their foot-soldiers around the world. Narrowly escaping a CIA drone terror attack in the Canadian wilderness, Cross seeks out Dr. Marta Shearing (a good performance by Rachel Weisz) in a bid to get his meds and some answers. Cue lots of running around, some characteristically brutal fight sequences and all manner of cloak & dagger shenanigans as our heroes tackle CIA assassins, above top secret 'Treadstone' killers (which gets a tad silly as Ed "consider yourself informed" Norton commandeers the manhunt) and elude every law enforcement agency from North America to the Philippines.
'The Bourne Legacy' could've trimmed about 15-20 minutes off its running time, isn't quite on a par with 'The Bourne Identity' but is as good as 'The Bourne Ultimatum' and more entertaining than 'The Bourne Supremacy'. Matt Damon's Jason Bourne will always be the defining character of this saga but Jeremy Renner's Aaron Cross brings an everyman quality to the Bourne universe, for whereas Damon was cynical, driven and aloof, Renner is understated and amiable; he asks questions and, depending on how you look at it, is more a victim than a volunteer.
'The Bourne Legacy' is an enjoyable spin-off that works as a standalone movie and you don't have to have seen the others to follow (though I'd recommend seeing them anyway because they're all good films). All in all, a cracking conspiracy thriller that Bourne author Robert Ludlum probably would've liked and one that won't disappoint fans of the series so far. Worth a look.
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The fourth outing in the popular espionage action thriller franchise based on the Jason Bourne novels by Robert Ludlum. Written and directed by Tony Gilroy, who scripted the first three films, the film moves away from the central Bourne character (played in the opening trilogy by Matt Damon) to focus on a new protagonist, CIA operative Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner). The film, which takes up events where 'The Bourne Ultimatum' left off, sees Cross making the vow to give himself over completely to 'the operation', and quickly proving himself to be the shining star in a new generation of deadly undercover assassins. Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton co-star, while pivotal roles from the previous films are reprised by Joan Allen, David Strathairn, Albert Finney and Scott Glenn.
The narrative architect behind the Bourne film series, Tony Gilroy, takes the helm in the next chapter of the hugely popular espionage franchise: The Bourne Legacy. The writer/director expands the Bourne universe created by Robert Ludlum with an original story that introduces us to a new hero (Jeremy Renner) whose life-or-death stakes have been triggered by the events of the first three films. For The Bourne Legacy, Renner joins fellow series newcomers Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach and Oscar Isaac, while franchise veterans Albert Finney, Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Scott Glenn reprise their roles.
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