Jason Bourne Movie Review

Released: July 27th 2016 (UK)

Length: 123 Minutes

Certificate: 12A

Director: Paul Greengrass

Starring: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel and Riz Ahmed

After almost a decade of absence (and a quick side tangent in 2012 with Legacy), the Bourne franchise has returned to cinemas. More than just an extension of a trilogy, Jason Bourne proves that the series can still offer the best of the thriller genre.

Many years after the events of The Bourne Ultimatum, David Webb, aka Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) remains in hiding, often turning to bare knuckle brawls to pay the bills. After receiving a tip from fellow hacker Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), Bourne finds himself hunted once again, this time by CIA director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) and his protégé Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander). From here it’s another series of globe-trotting ventures interspersed with the common intelligence briefings and flashbacks as Bourne works to uncover further secrets about his past. Conspiracies on the CIA and its practices are strewn throughout the narrative, making for another intriguing set of themes regarding ethics and operational procedures. Things don’t come without a few speed bumps however; the film moves incredibly quickly for a majority of its runtime, keeping the stakes high, but whenever a scene involving social media company Deep Dream comes in, it brings the momentum to a screeching halt. The scenes involving business exec Aaron Kalloor (Riz Ahmed) attempt to add some kind of modern context to the proceedings but instead they come off as a big distraction and really don’t contribute anything to the central plotline. There’s also a moment (which I won’t spoil) at the conclusion of a thrilling action scene in Greece that’s brushed over rather quickly with little in the way of reflection. These moments stand out because the original trilogy didn’t have to burden itself with these issues and followed through with the action and drama all the way.

The characters in Jason Bourne maintain the realistic nature of previous films and do well to fit into the plot. With the character’s tortured past pushing into the forefront, Matt Damon once again portrays the rogue spy with a brilliant sense of duality; part hardened operative and part regretful individual. It’s a very believable personal struggle, particularly with Dewey’s telling line: “You’ll never find any peace”. Dewey himself is another ruthless villain for the franchise, hell bent on concealing some dirty secrets just as his predecessors did. On the other hand Heather Lee is a young yet pragmatic member of the agency who really comes into her own as things go on; Vikander captures this change seamlessly. Despite not contributing much to the overall narrative, Riz Ahmed still gives a capable performance as the business archetype and his involvement does pick up a little towards the film’s conclusion.

Paul Greengrass returns to direct Jason Bourne and his trademark shaky, pseudo-authentic style is in full effect. The action on display here is every bit as engaging as it was in the original trilogy; furious chase sequences, brutal fight scenes and intense firefights all come together to create a white-knuckled tension that few other thrillers can claim to match. The cinematography is slickly done and the stunt work has been put together intricately; both are matched by the soundtrack, another relentless assault on the senses that takes the thrills to a higher level. Flashbacks make use of a hazy filter, again emphasising the gaps in Bourne’s memory and spurring him on to find the truth whereas other scenes, such as the one in Greece, bring in differing atmospheres through their lighting. By sticking to an established formula, Jason Bourne delivers the same concise presentation that the director gave across Supremacy and Ultimatum; it certainly won’t disappoint any fans of those entries.

Jason Bourne is for the most part, a very strong comeback for one of the best action thriller franchises in cinema. The action is fantastic and the characters are very well-portrayed; it’s just too bad that a few niggling plot elements keep it from being as intensely gratifying as Ultimatum was in 2007.

Rating: 4/5 Stars