The Bourne Legacy

Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!



Today's review is The Bourne Legacy.



Directed by Tony Gilroy

Written by Tony Gilroy & Dan Gilroy.



Screen Story by Tony Gilroy

Inspired by the Jason Bourne series. Written by Robert Ludlum.

Review #169

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence and action sequences.

Run Time: 135 min

Cast: In Order of Appearance

Jeremy Renner ... Aaron Cross

Scott Glenn ... Ezra Kramer

Stacy Keach ... Retired Adm. Mark Turso, USN

Edward Norton ... Retired Col. Eric Byer, USAF

Donna Murphy ... Dita Mandy

Michael Chernus ... Arthur Ingram

Rachel Weisz ... Dr. Marta Shearing

Neil Brooks Cunningham ... Dr. Dan Hillcott

Zeljko Ivanek ... Dr. Donald Foite

Albert Finney ... Dr. Albert Hirsch

Dennis Boutsikaris ... Terrence Ward

Oscar Isaac ... Outcome #3

David Strathairn ... Noah Vosen

The Jason Bourne franchise has been one of the more entertaining and profitable set of films to tackle the espionage genre. We have Robert Ludlum, Matt Damon, Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass to thank for that. However there is one name that is not recognized and he damn well should be.

Tony Gilroy.

He wrote or co wrote all three Bourne films. They established the blueprint for the rest of the talent to make those wonderful movies. You could even see the progression of each film in terms of severity, technique and overall story arc. That's all Gilroy. Without his input, those films would not be half as good as they actually were.

So here we are today as Gilroy takes the reigns both behind the typewriter and the camera with a new/not so new addition to the Bourne saga. And who better to continue where Damon and Greengrass left off than the man responsible for the stories in the first place.

Plot

An expansion of the universe from Robert Ludlum's novels, centered on a new hero whose stakes have been triggered by the events of the previous three films. 

The first thing to realize going into this movie is that it's not a sequel in the sense that we are all accustomed to. This move takes place as events in The Bourne Ultimatum are happening as well. It's a very clever and bold move. It's also extremely risky. Gilroy rolls the dice that the public have either seen the last Bourne film or remember what happens in it. It's a big gamble that pays off if you take this film as part of the Jason Bourne DNA. If you walk into it expecting a stand alone Bourne type adventure then you will not like this film.

Aside from the tricky back and forth between The Bourne Ultimatum events and what happens with Cross, there is a lot to like about this movie. The first being Jeremy Renner. Cross is not like Bourne in any way. He doesn't have to recover his memory. He's at the height of his training and is fully aware of his status with his outfit. He plays Cross with the same robotic nature that all of these "special" agents do. There is a little more emotion behind him though because he's not trying to recall who and what he is. That is until the people who created him want him dead. This is where the movie falls into familiar territory. It takes a while to get there but you have to remember that Jason Bourne is not "directly" part of this new entry. Establishing Cross is necessary to get the ball rolling when he kicks ass later on.

Speaking of kicking ass.

There's plenty of that kind of action that you come to expect from a Bourne film. The fights are well choreographed but poorly edited. I totally get the idea of showcasing Cross' skill set and film makers in general use the editing room to do that when the better option is doing what they do in Hong Kong. They employ a technique called editing in camera. Just like in the states the fights are choreographed, rehearsed and blocked. Then when it's time to shoot they film a sequence uninterrupted and then change angles to vary the look of the action. Over here they over shoot the hell out of the fight then puzzle it together in post. As an editor. I know and respect the value of having coverage. That doesn't mean you always have to use it.

That's why it's called editing.

That being said it's not all that bad. The cuts are just too whimsical for my taste. There's not much room to breathe when Cross is dispatching a group of assailants. Perhaps it's finally time for me to dust off one of my old kung fu scripts. Shoot a fight and show these dudes how to properly cut a fight scene.

As always, the action serves as a vehicle to move the story along which at times can get a bit heavy. Gilroy opens up a huge pandora's box here concerning the mythology of Treadstone and Blackbriar. I won't say what he does but it's both smart and overbearing at the same time. This is the main issue with the film. It doesn't stand on it's own two feet as it was portrayed. The initial impression is that the film needed Jason Bourne's presence to get things off the ground. Again it was a clever move but the side effect is that you might think too much about Jason Bourne when you're supposed to be watching Cross. This is a small gripe for me but I can see how it can be a deterrent for someone else.

My biggest gripe or gripes deal with two important plot points.

The first is a signature fight. In all three Bourne films. Jason Bourne has a one on one contest with a Treadstone agent tasked with taking him out. All of those fights had the same elements in common.

They showed Bourne's fighting ability.

The men fighting him were equally skilled as he was.

Bourne showed his uncanny ability to improvise weaponry to gain the upper hand. He uses the pen in The Bourne Identity. The rolled up magazine in The Bourne Supremacy. Finally the book and towel in The Bourne Ultimatum.

Finally they all showed that he could not be bested.

So how does the signature fight with Cross compare. It doesn't. Because there wasn't one. This is a CRIME. What's even more egregious is the film gives Cross and me for that matter the opportunity to have that signature fight and it gets wasted. In addition the "villain" sent to go after him is built up to be some kind of bad ass and his demise is met in the lamest of ways.

So sad.

My other gripe is the ending. Like part of the plot, the climax suffers from and identity crisis. No pun intended. As you would expect it's open ended to try and franchise the saga with Renner behind the action. However, there's one shot in the film that screams closure point. You will know it when you see it. The adjustments to the ending felt like a tack on instead of a conclusion.

The rest of the cast in this film is good. Edward Norton highlights the squad. He plays Beyer with just the right amount of good vs evil balance. On the surface he's not a villain like Chris Cooper or David Strathairn were. They're motive was to save their own butts. Beyer is trying to contain the damage that those two created when they were hunting Bourne. Stacy Keach does an admirable job playing the head man and Rachel Weisz steps into Franka Potente's shoes nicely as the female sidekick. Her character has a lot more to offer in this instead of just eye candy. This was a nice and welcomed tweak to the roster.

Bottom line. The Bourne Legacy is a pretty good film. It's flawed but it rekindles your love of the Bourne universe. With a little more spit and polish, the potential for another great espionage franchise could be on the horizon.

On the 5 star scale. The Bourne Legacy gets 3.5 stars. With a "Go See It!" recommendation.

That's a wrap for today. Up next is The Expendables 2.

Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"