The world is on the brink of turmoil, there are riots on the street, paranoia is at an all-time high, and shady government agencies are breeding a new group of spies and assassins capable of infiltrating the very heart of our society. In times like these, there is only one person we can turn to:
That’s right, Matt Damon.
Set twelve years after the events of The Bourne Ultimatum, amnesiac super-spy Jason Bourne has resurfaced with his memory fully intact and hellbent on uncovering the hidden truth about his family and his past. With some returning faces including Julia Stiles and a new stellar supporting cast that features Vincent Cassel, Alicia Vikander and veteran Tommy Lee Jones the real question is, with the return of Damon and Paul Greengrass in the directors chair, is this sequel necessary let alone worth the agonising wait?
In a post-Snowden world the Bourne franchise hasn’t lost any of its steam, it keeps the film contemporary and just adds to our global-paranoia of what personal information we should and shouldn’t be putting on the internet. With a fast pace throughout, thanks to Greengrass’ signature frenetic camerawork and editing, we move from foot chases to motorcycle chases to internet chases to Bourne bringing a paperclip to a gun fight and still winning - it’s a lot of what we’ve come to expect from this series. Even though some might complain about Greengrass’ approach to storytelling, you can’t denying that he’s good at giving us a sense of location before the action starts and then pulls the editing together so tightly that you don’t know your earhole from your a**hole as you try to figure out just how Bourne is going to get out of each nail-biting situation.
The casting is rock-solid with Vikander being a great addition to the series that leaves you constantly questioning which side she’s really on whilst Tommy Lee Jones joins a long line of grumpy old men pulling the strings behind the scenes. Vincent Cassell is the smooth European assassin for this instalment and some of the best scenes are of him effortlessly collecting weapons, data and ass-whoppings. Both Cassell and Jones inclusion add a personal element to Bourne’s mission this time and it’s the most obvious progression for the series to take however taking a step back, it doesn’t really feel like any of these personal moments or vendettas are really earned because the film moves at such a break-neck speed. Often the personal motivations are more of a convenience than anything else, but this isn’t to say that the film isn’t still exciting.
Truth be told, I’m a massive Bourne fan. Ever since Doug Liman gave us the first instalment with The Bourne Identity, this series redefined the Spy-Thriller genre and even had cinematic staples like James Bond mimicking what Damon and Greengrass brought to the table. The shaky-cam may be a little nauseating at times, but there is no denying that these films keep you on your feet and has the most lethal array of stationary ever committed to cinema. I even enjoyed the Jeremy Renner film, it had potential and it did a half-way decent job of world-building, but I understand why they wouldn’t continue that storyline when they can get Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass back together again.
Much like the Bond series, the Bourne films have become a bit of a slave to their own formula: discover a new ominously titled maguffin, evade capture in a densely populated location, have a hand-to-hand fight with a supposed ally (whilst incorporating some form of office stationary in the fight), have a face-to-face with the old grizzled bad-guy, end on a car chase that out does the previous films (and this film definitely has the best car chase of the franchise). It’s just unfortunate that after a nine year break, Damon and Greengrass hasn’t brought anything new to their template. If you’re a fan of the series, like myself, this is probably not going to bother you too much, but with another Bourne movie set-up at the end of this film, you’ve got to hope that they will add a little something different to ensure this series longevity.
Jason Bourne gets Four out of Five Stars (or Four out of Five ass-whooping paperclips to the face.)
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