The Bourne series of films were no doubt a huge hit. It was a smart caper that made money in an emerging era where dumbing down meant you got a bigger audience.
A talky thriller with sparse but intense action sequences, it still somehow managed to become one of the biggest franchises of all time, the three films earning almost a billion at the box office.
When the studio ran out of the Robert Ludlum books that the films were adapted from, the studio still wanted more. The director dropped out. The star said he wasn’t going to be in the film if the director wasn’t involved.
But Paul Grengrass and Matt Damon’s departure didn’t deter the studio from making another one. The writer of all the three films was hired to take over and a bright new action star was added to the project, which featured an all new cast including Edward Norton and Rachel Weisz.
Bourne fans might like the opening scene. And you need to have watched the other films to get the context of some stories, or at least the moment in time the film is at.
For those who thought the previous Bournes needed more action, might be a little disappointed by this one. But if your taste allowed you to like–let alone understand–the other Bournes, you won’t have much of a problem here.
One thing that might be missing from this film is the sense of urgency that was clear in Greengrass’ instalments, which might have been created by the cinematographer. The camera is steadier, totally eliminating Greengrass’ signature.
The film’s tagline is “there was never just one.” It introduces us to another Treadstone/Blackbriar operative just as the CIA agencies are trying to clean up the mess caused by the actions of Jason Bourne. Behavioural design is about to be exposed just as one of the operatives’ has run out of the meds that keep the operatives in tune.
Something that might be disputable is Gilroy’s comparison to Greengrass. It’s hard talking about Legacy without mentioning the previous director. His style which we have seen in films beyond Bourne has created the illusion that that is how all Bourne films should look like.
Despite the change, Bourne is still an enjoyable film to watch if you eliminate the shadow of its predecessors and manages to be enjoyable. It still has a lot of those “WHAT?!” scenes in all the hand-to-hand combat and action scenes.
I expected a little bit more from the parkour scenes, but that doesn’t mean it was disappointing. Besides, a one-shot scene where he rounds the house, climbing two floors effortlessly is as almost as cool as the follow-through camera scene in Supremacy.
What I loved about the action is how natural they were. They didn’t seem like they were saved up for the last scenes. This is probably because of how the film comes together anyway.
People who like slow-burn thrillers will enjoy and the action lovers will not be disappointed. Catch the film at Starflix Theatres daily at 12:15 p.m., 3:15 p.m., 6:15 p.m., 9:15 p.m.
