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    The Bourne Legacy

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    I did not expect much out of “The Bourne Legacy”. Yes, I wanted to enjoy myself, but when I threw it into my DVD player, I was merely doing my homework. A new Jason Bourne film has just been released and in my mind, if you’re going to see part 5, you should see the four that came before. I found this 4th chapter, with its blend of the old and the new exciting, enjoyable, even frightening at times. I think it’s a worthy successor to the tight conclusion that was “The Bourne Ultimatum”.

    Set soon after “Ultimatum” Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) is getting ready to blow the whistle and expose the CIA’s illegal Treadstone and Blackbriar programs to the Senate. When the National Research Assay Group’s overseer, Eric Byer (Edward Norton) decides to wipe clean all of the government super spy and soldier programs, they begin eliminating anyone and everyone who might leak more information. Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), a member of project Outcome, finds himself on the run.

    What I enjoyed most about “The Bourne Legacy” is that it fits nicely among the other films in the series, but brings something new. Jason Bourne’s story wrapped itself up pretty definitively in my mind. The people that created him are gone and he’s disappeared… but what about the other agents? We know the CIA’s got more, as they have repeatedly sent Asset after Asset to take him out. What if the actions of the previous film started a chain reaction? Who else is going to realize how messed up they’ve become and try to get off the grid? That’s exciting. In fact, by following up on Landy’s expose to the Senate and showing us some of the other programs inspired by, but unrelated to Bourne, I found the tone of this film to be much more frightening and unsettling. You thought the story was over with her, but you realize the extent of what’s going on. How far the CIA is willing to cover up its tracks and how quickly they decide that eliminating people is the best way to keep them quiet. I found myself looking over my shoulder as I kept telling myself “Remember, it’s only a movie”.

    The odds stacked against Cross are nearly overwhelming and it’s that much more apparent when you get deeper into the film. Another aspect that I like about “Legacy” is that in a way, it goes back to the beginning by having Cross ally himself with a government doctor (Rachel Weisz as Marta Shearing) who has also been targeted by the CIA for asking too many questions. When a hero is on his own, I think you kind of know that he’s only going to get badly injured once it gets to the climax. When you’ve got two heroes, the situation feels more perilous to me. Add to that a ticking clock component to (Cross needs to take government supplied pills at regular intervals and his supply is running) and you’ve got plenty of thrills. I know that by describing the film quickly, it just sounds like the same thing you’ve seen before, but it’s not simply re-treading; there’s something about this story. Maybe it’s the characters involved, the way the villain operates, the directing by Tony Gilroy, I’m not sure, but this felt to me like the next logical step.

    I mentioned that “Legacy”’s tone is darker overall than the previous “Bourne” films. We’ve learned by now that brainwashing, assassinations, corruption and illegal actions are nothing new to the people involved in these programs. Here, it’s taken even further. For the most part, I like it. The stakes seem higher, the villains more despicable and it keeps you on your toes throughout to see that being on the run and moving quickly isn’t enough. With their cameras and multiple agents, Cross and Dr. Shearing are just killing time before an agent (such as Louis Ozawa Changchien) catches up. There are a few retcons/revelations about the ending of “Ultimatum” that didn’t sit well with me. It’s nothing big, but they make it a tad too obvious that they want to keep the franchise going instead of letting this movie just be its own thing.

    “The Bourne Legacy” is a pleasant surprise. Sure, you might miss Matt Damon but I didn’t, not when equally compelling characters, played by talented actors are given as substitutes. The story is complex, full of good espionage moments and also contains some of the “Bourne” series’ trademarks. And unlike the pictures before this one, you don’t know who is going to make it out in the end. I expected that I’d watch this film once and get rid of it, but I’m making room for it on my shelf. (On DVD, August 27, 2016)

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    adamwatchesmovies@  29.8.2016 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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