"Jason Bourne" Review

Title: Jason Bourne

Directed by: Paul Greengrass

Written by: Paul Greengrass and Christopher Rouse

Year: 2016


The original trilogy of Bourne films is a staple in the action genre. The combination of great action, good acting, and a gripping story make them excellent films and endlessly re-watchable. Now, Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass have returned to the franchise with a new mission for Bourne. Is it too late to revive this series, or can this sequel bring back one of cinema's most famous assassins?

After being in hiding for several years, Jason Bourne has re-surfaced. Seeking information on the program that trained him and why he was signed up for it, Bourne will stop at nothing to piece together his broken past.

Matt Damon is iconic as Jason Bourne. Damon portrayed the killer amnesiac tremendously well in the older films, and he is able to slip back into the character comfortably for this installment. His screen presence has immense gravitas and Damon pulls off the action scenes very well. Julia Stiles is surprisingly wooden. She is not in the film much, but her performance makes that fact a positive. Her stale delivery diminishes the character of Nicky. Alicia Vikander continues her recent hot streak with another prominent role. Vikander is quickly becoming a household name and she, once again, gives a great performance.

Vincent Cassel is understated in his role as a rival assassin to Bourne known only as the Asset. He does a fine job of giving this character an unexplored depth and sells the action scenes with all the coldness of a killer. My only problem with the character is the route the film takes him on in relation to Bourne. For the first half of the movie, he wants revenge on Bourne, which works perfectly. But later on, something is revealed that makes Bourne want to go after the Asset. It is very tacked-on and unnecessary. Tommy Lee Jones brings his A-game to this picture. As Director of the CIA, Jones essentially plays Bourne's main antagonist. He throws himself into the role and his interesting line delivery really grounds the character.

The story is where Jason Bourne loses a lot of footing. The plot is simply uninteresting and feels like familiar territory. The premise is intriguing, with Bourne wanting to find out why he was selected for the program that made him a killer, but the execution is not competent enough. Certain plot threads are introduced to enhance the story but instead do the opposite. For instance, there is a sub-plot devoted to a social media program that raises the issue of privacy versus security. It has no place in this movie and feels like an overt attempt to make this film more culturally relevant. The movie would have been serviced better were these sub-plots omitted.

In addition, a lot of this feels like familiar territory. We have already seen Bourne hunt down those trying to shield his past. The story does not offer many new concepts, which results in an unimpressive adventure on a narrative level. Also, there are occasional  flashbacks to a pivotal moment in Bourne's life. This could have made for an effective emotional crux. However, the emotions never hit and the same flashback is played over and over again, with little morsels of information being added to it each time. This makes the flashback sequences very repetitive.

The action, on the other hand, is where the film truly shines. Greengrass is a master at handheld-directing, able to track motion while also shaking the camera. Shaky-cam rarely works, but Greengrass has turned this technique into an art by keeping the main action in the center of frame. This ensures that the viewer is never lost in the midst of all the motion. This makes for some intense fight scenes and crazy chases. The hand-to-hand combat is top notch, with detailed choreography and thrilling visuals. This is especially apparent in the final fight scene, where the sound editing is used to magnificent effect in regard to the punches.

The chase sequences are also spectacular. The opening action set-piece takes place during a riot. The landscape is burning and there are two separate parties after Bourne. This motorcycle chase is white-knuckled action at its finest. There is also a stunning car chase that takes place in Las Vegas. There is copious destruction on display and the evolution of the chase is superbly realized. Where Jason Bourne excels is delivering the quality action with which the franchise has become associated.

Although I have complimented Greengrass' directing for this picture, I also have to bring up an issue with it. In film, there is a technique called the "push-in." This is when the camera pushes or zooms into a character's face to signify a beat or emotional shift. Greengrass makes use of this technique -- a lot. The amount of push-ins becomes very frustrating and distracting. Furthermore, they are hardly used to communicate a tonal shift or change in mood. Thus, we are left with awkward close-ups that feel very out of place.

What Jason Bourne lacks in story, it makes up for in stellar action. The cast is solid overall, with Matt Damon's reprisal being very appreciated; Greengrass' direction of action is marvelous and perfectly executed; and the action-beats stack up against those of the original films with equal footing. The story is terribly disinteresting, with many convolutions and forced drama to spare, which really lets this film down. In summary, Jason Bourne makes for a good, thrilling time at the cinema, but cannot achieve the heights of its predecessors.

Grade: B