Directed by:
Tony GilroyCinematography:
Robert ElswitComposer:
James Newton HowardCast:
Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach, Dennis Boutsikaris, Oscar Isaac, Joan Allen, Albert Finney, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
In The Bourne Legacy, Aaron Cross, a member of a black ops program whose agents are genetically enhanced, goes on the run once Bourne's actions lead to the public exposure of Operations Treadstone and Blackbriar. It is the fourth installment in the Bourne film series, which is based on Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne series. Titular character Jason Bourne does not appear in The Bourne Legacy, as actor Matt Damon, who played Bourne in the first three films, chose not to return for a fourth film. Gilroy, co-screenwriter of the first three films, sought to continue the story of the film series without changing its events, and parts of The Bourne Legacy take place at the same time as the previous film The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (13)
It's not a bad film, but comparisons to previous installments are inevitable. The best thing about The Bourne Legacy is Rachel Weisz, an actress the franchise needed earlier (especially in the first episode), and the chilling scene in the lab. Otherwise, there's almost nothing here that we haven't seen before (jumping on rooftops, escapades on a motorcycle, faking one’s own death, hiding and escaping), and when we do, it's rather laughable (the wolf). Plus, whenever the name "Bourne" came up, I felt like I was watching Cimrman's Hamlet without Hamlet.
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Tony Gilroy complained for so long that his scripts under Paul Greengrass's direction didn't sound like they deserved, until he finally took the camera into his own hands – and ripped off everything the previous trilogy offered. And when the first half-hour reminds me of nothing more than a really long scene cut from The Bourne Ultimatum, I know something ain't right. And yet it is truly a pity when you watch the surprisingly talkative and appropriately sharp Jeremy Renner. His hand-to-hand combat with the enemy takes your breath away, and the chemistry with Rachel Weisz is spot-on. Unfortunately, when the pace of the second half reaches its maximum, an extra stupid twist (LARX) comes along, and with it a sobering up that leaves your head ringing until the end. I probably would have had much less of a problem with a standalone story, but merely sewing it onto a worn-out brand kills The Bourne Legacy.
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The new Bourne is much more restrained and much less action-packed than I expected. The plus is that they managed to quite sophisticatedly integrate the plot of the new film into the older trilogy, so this "standalone" installment doesn't feel intrusive or contrived, especially considering that the story of Bourne and Cross is essentially unfolding in the same time period. The action is good, although there are far fewer hand-to-hand combat scenes, and overall the direction is much more subdued and minimalistic. The subplot about experiments on people (pills, etc.) is solid. The main character's motivation is good and Rachel Weisz’s performance is excellent. It's clear that Gilroy went smartly around it, he didn't want to pump the audience with even more sophisticated action, more pumped-up music, and faster pace. But to wrap the viewer around his finger with unexpected plot twists that sometimes shock with their force (the interrogation at Weisz's house) and sometimes pleasantly and reliably stick to the established tracks (chases, stunts). What bothered me the most was the complete absence of an ending and a clear indication that if Legacy is at least somewhat commercially successful, there will be a reset of the series.
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The problem with the reference is not that it is badly filmed or coordinated, the problem is that the real Bourne reference does not go anywhere - Cross has only a loose relationship to the main storyline of the trilogy, and he himself does not bring any major themes and twists and the most interesting (i.e., the other destinies of Pamela Landy and her duel with the system) goes from "something bad will probably happen" to "something bad really has happened". In the meantime, we are watching a not-so-dazzling pilgrimage of an excellently coordinated character without the secret of pills. The final question, "are we lost?", which the heroine asks the hero, is quite relevant. It's hard to say what will happen to the characters and whether the whole reference is just a spite project to show naughty renegades that it will work without them. Trodding around the main storyline proves it. Otherwise, it’s OK. Some scenes are great (the entire fight in the house, the episode in Alaska), others reveal that Gilroy should not push into a Greengrass kinetic ride, for which he has no skill or level (the whole final chase with the oblique-eyed Terminator). Just a useless movie in a pretty bearable way.
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Very decent. Bourne's Legacy blends tastefully with the third part of the Bourne trilogy without parasitizing it. It suffers from a very lukewarm start, but from about the 30th minute onwards, action follows action and everything culminates in a half-hour continuous set-piece in the Philippines. Jeremy Renner stood with honour up to a possible comparison with Matt Damon. That said, I won't be looking forward to the next piece of this spy puzzle, the Bourne universe has been gnawed to the bone by this film.
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