The Bourne Legacy is a 2012 adventure film centered on a new hero whose stakes have been triggered by the events of the previous three films.
You have to wonder about the impact of what came before in a movie like Tony Gilroy‘s underrated The Bourne Legacy. Had it been the first in the series – which admittedly is sort of impossible given the story premise – might it have been better received? Would star Jeremy Renner being doing Bourne films now rather than Avenger movies? Maybe not. As a Bourne movie, Legacy is pretty solid, coloring in between the lines to make for a highly satisfying thriller. As an action movie, it’s sort of standard stuff, doing what it promises, not really breaking the ceiling as it were, but is, just the same, great fun with just enough bang to give this a real go.
THE STORY: Beginning with a familiar image, we see the silhouette of a man floating under the waves, the film recalling the iconic opening of the original movie. Unlike that one though, this man isn’t shot, instead very much alert, and makes his way to the bottom of a deep river, retrieving a sealed canister tied to a rope. He then makes for the surface and emerges into the frigid arctic, naked, and heads for a nearby campfire on the edge of an expansive Alaskan forest, which is, as luck would have it, targeted by a pack of hungry wolves needing to be beaten back by fire and fury. This is a very tough guy.
We soon find out he is Aaron Cross (Renner), codename Number Five, an operative for a US Defense Department Black Ops program called Operation Outcome, and he’s on a solo training mission that he might (by design) not survive. He’s given a supply of ‘Chems’, little blue and green pills that enhance both physical and mental abilities, but eventually arrives at his destination – a small fortified cabin in the woods – a full two days ahead of schedule, doing so having lost the meds and forced to take a very dangerous route over the mountains. He’s really a tough guy.
Meanwhile, the hunt for Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), who is seen only briefly in images, is still a priority, many worried he will expose the Treadstone Project, and if you don’t remember what that is, it’s hardly a worry. Just know that it’s super important to every major security and intelligence arm of the government who in turn want Bourne stopped, dead or alive. To further prevent ruin in this ring of deception, Eric Byer (Edward Norton), a retired USAF Colonel, who runs the CIA’s clandestine operations, calls for Outcome to be terminated, ordering all operatives to take a new pill, a yellow one, and for those that do, well, you can guess it’s not a happy end. At least it’s quick.
Knowing where Cross is though, isolated in the mountain cabin with his contact, Number Three (Oscar Isaac), a missile-armed drone is sent in to do the job instead, but misses Number Five, putting Three on the run. This sees him heading to the laboratory where the pills are researched, eventually meeting Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz), who miraculously escapes a horrifying murder spree from her brainwashed colleague, turned by Byer hoping to cut all the loose ends. Now with her help, the two are on the fly, he in need of more meds, making their way to the manufacturing plant in Manila to try and solve the mystery of why he’s a target and mostly, just stay alive.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Gilroy, who is better known for his writing, being the screenwriter for all the Bourne films among a few other major hits, including Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Armageddon, and The Devil’s Advocate, knows what makes a Bourne film click, even if his directing style differs from series regular Paul Greengrass. Patching together a string of energy action set pieces and high speed vehicular and foot chases amid all the techno jargon and spy babble, this lengthy film is not short on momentum.
Renner is very convincing as a stoic lead, boxy and brutal with not much need for dialogue, taking command of the action from the start. Gilroy gives him ample time to breath, the film a full thirty minutes in before the real story kicks off, filling in the time with a myriad of well-known actors, from David Strathairn to Scott Glenn to Stacy Keach to Corey Stoll and more, all who deliver meaty performances that edge toward campy but pull back just enough to stick the landing.
One of the best scenes involves Zeljko Ivanek as the brainwashed doctor, in a jarring moment of terrifying violence that really stands out as the most authentic in a movie that stays just shy of that for most of its runtime. Locked in a top secret lab, he gets triggered into deadly action and what we see is truly one of the most disturbing sequences in the entire Bourne franchise. Kudos to Gilroy for making what could have been schlocky into a bone-chilling nightmare.
There’s also one heck of a parkour foot chase (that bleeds into a motorcycle chase) that while maybe a few years out of date, is nonetheless a straight up adrenaline rush. This is Gilroy’s best-directed moment and you should pay attention to the verticality of it, the three pronged storyline, and the outstanding use of the chaotic Manila market setting. It’s not to be missed. Add in James Newton Howard‘s terrific score and this is a real zinger.
THE TALLY: The Bourne Legacy was supposed to kick off a new series yet despite a solid box office run and a host of mostly favorable reviews, it wasn’t meant to be, as the ghost of Damon’s Bourne lingered all too heavily, eventually leading both he and Greengrass to come back to the franchise one more time, sealing Renner’s run to only one. Still, if you crave great action and a bit of intrigue, The Bourne Legacy is just what you need, and is well worth watching (again).