THE BOURNE LEGACY - archive from 30th August 2012.

Saw 'THE BOURNE LEGACY' last night. Jason Bourne is all around this movie but he's not actually in it, but there are visual & spoken references aplenty. Jeremy Renner plays Aaron Cross here, and I like Jeremy Renner and he puts in a good turn, but his character is a facsimile of Bourne in almost every way in this fourth instalment.


Cross has come through the same covert organisation, he has trained in the same way and at the same places, but their paths never crossed and they don't know about each others existence. This is a parallel story that runs concurrently and you need to concentrate to keep track of the interwoven story. 

Basically, when Black Operations 'Treadstone' and 'Black Briar' are exposed to the media in 'The Bourne Ultimatum' those behind these operations need to quickly rethink their strategies and their place in the world given their actions and their covert history - singularly and collectively. So they decide to shut everything and everyone down to ensure no trace is left and everyone disappears! Aaron Cross however, involved in Operation 'Outcome' survives the attempts to take him out, and seeks to uncover the truth behind what is really going on.

There is as you would expect from a Bourne film, a strong cast that includes Scott Glenn, Stacy Keach, Edward Norton, Albert Finney, David Strathairn and Rachel Weisz, and it is Directed by Tony Gilroy who wrote the Screenplays for the three previous Bourne films, and many other notable movies going back to the early 90's.

It has everything you would expect from a Bourne franchise movie but there is nothing here you haven't seen in the previous three instalments! The action set pieces, the thrills & spills, the intrigue is all there, but I came away feeling underwhelmed! 

Wait for the DVD and then watch all four back to back to understand the thread. A little disappointing and very formulaic - unfortunately, as this was so full of promise!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-