Continuing a franchise without its lead actor isn't always a
wise choice, most of the time the decision yields nothing more than a
forgettable piece of direct-to-video cinema. But, Universal is treating its
Bourne series like gold since the original trilogy raked in close to a billion
dollars in box office revenue. The studio kicked in a big budget and signed up an
A-list cast to compensate for the loss of Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass.
Despite its troubled production, The Bourne Identity was a hit and updated the spy genre into a
gritty, real world setting. The film's success certainly played a role in
rebooting the Bond franchise since Die
Another Day (which also came out in 2002) was derided for its overuse of
CGI and silly contrivances like invisible cars. Neither Damon nor Greengrass
were that keen on returning for a fourth picture so the directorial reins were
given to Tony Gilroy, who co-wrote the script with his brother, Dan. Rather
than rebooting the series or ignoring the events of the previous films, The Bourne Legacy is a side-quel that
takes place simultaneous to The Bourne Ultimatum.
In case you missed it, Jason Bourne is running roughshod in
Manhattan and threatening to expose Treadstone, a CIA black ops program
involving illegal activities and assassinations. Retired Col. Eric Byer (Edward
Norton) is the shadowy government official in charge of all the various cloak
and dagger operations, including Treadstone's sister program, Operation Outcome.
In order to protect themselves, Byer orders the elimination of Outcome's assets
and anyone else who may have damaging knowledge. This leads us to one of their
best and brightest, Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), who narrowly escapes a UAV
while training in the Alaskan wilderness. Unlike the psychological manipulation
of Treadstone, Outcome utilizes genetic engineering to gift its foot soldiers
with enhanced abilities, both physical and mental. Think of a modern day
Captain America with the side effect of requiring regular doses of pills
(chems) to keep the enhancements permanent.
After losing his supply of chems, Cross seeks the aid of Dr.
Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz), who has also escaped an attempt on her life. One
of her co-workers (Zeljko Ivanek) is given the Manchurian Candidate treatment and coldly guns down his colleagues
with Dr. Shearing the only survivor. The globetrotting adventure cuts between the
boardrooms and control centers of the CIA to the streets of Manila as Cross and
Dr. Shearing search for the drugs our hero desperately needs.
Tony Gilroy has done a seamless job weaving The Bourne Legacy into the mythos that
was previously created. Gilroy's directorial style is a meshing of Limon's and
Greengrass's. Thankfully, Gilroy's shaky cam isn't as nauseating. The workplace
shooting is one of the most effective sequences in the film. It would be
chilling enough without the context of current events. The other action scenes
are pulled off in gripping manner. The opener will recall The Grey as Cross evades a hungry wolf and a missile strike.
Another tense set piece sees Cross rescuing Dr. Shearing in her remote home
from a CIA kill squad. The most exciting and frenetic action is reserved for
the third act as the protagonists run along the rooftops and crowded streets of
the Philippines.
Gilroy falters in the actual story. Those who haven't seen
the earlier Bourne films will be lost
as much of the first act almost recaps the major plot points of Ultimatum in an effort to establish the
timeline for Legacy. We get brief
cameos from familiar faces like Scott Glenn, Joan Allen, David Strathairn,
Albert Finney, and Corey Johnson while introducing new characters such as
Norton's Col. Byer and Stacy Keach as the latest in a long line of gravelly
voiced authoritarians. There is also a lot of exposition and techno-babble
about the intricacies of Outcome. The script is at its weakest when attempting
to sketch out the lead characters.
Jeremy Renner is more than capable of succeeding Matt Damon.
He brings the same quiet intensity to the role of Aaron Cross as he did to his
conflicted bomb diffuser in The Hurt Locker. Unfortunately, his motivations aren't as interesting as Jason
Bourne's. Bourne was all about discovering his true identity and finding
redemption when he learns he wasn't that nice of a guy, sort of a serious take
on the Total Recall concept. Bourne
is also concerned with bringing his puppet masters to justice. Here, Cross
knows exactly who he is and is primarily occupied with self-preservation. He is
motivated by finding more meds. In a take on Flowers for Algernon, we learn that Cross dreads what will happen
should he lose his mental faculties. Before joining Outcome, his IQ was so low
that his army recruiter had to fudge the numbers to meet minimum requirements.
This is an intriguing twist that is never fully developed. The same can be said
for Dr. Shearing. Rachel Weisz gives a strong performance, but the character is
merely the damsel in distress. She's there to be rescued by the hero, then
tagalong for the ride until they fall in love. The most fascinating element
about Shearing is her participation in the grey area of human experimentation.
She seems willfully ignorant about the sinister implications of her work. Again,
this is glanced over. The relationship between Cross and Shearing actually
isn't as interesting as the brief relationship between Cross and an unnamed
Outcome agent played by Oscar Issac. The agent runs a safe house on the
training grounds where Cross finds respite. Isaac is reticent about opening up
to the talkative Cross and both men are constantly sizing up the other in
subtle fashion.
The Bourne Legacy
eventually fizzles to an anticlimactic conclusion that obviously leaves room
for a Cross-led sequel while leaving the door open for Damon's return. Legacy just doesn't do enough to expand
the mythology of the Bourne franchise and the results are an entirely
conventional action pic.
Rating: ** ½ (*****)
