Jason Bourne
Former C.I.A. operative and special government project Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) has been out in the world, drifting, surviving, and staying off the grid for nearly 9 years. When a ghost from his past, Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) turns up with new information about the C.I.A.’s intentions past and present, Bourne is compelled to stop his former handlers, Director Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) and newcomer analyst Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander); however, the agency has stepped up its game and called in a familiar spook (Vincent Cassel) to stop him. Will this in fact be Bourne’s last chapter?
Directed and partially written by Paul Greengrass this latest installment in the Bourne franchise continues on a similar trajectory fans have come to expect; intense hand to hand combat choreography, crazy chase sequences on foot, by motorcycle, and by car, and unsteady and wild cinematography and editing. However, what appears to be missing this go round is the creative spark to significantly differentiate the film from the rest of the pack and multiple characters that exist within flat or near flat story arcs to create an overall absence of compelling drive. In particular, Stiles and Vikander’s one dimensional scripting makes for wooden performances that just don’t connect; meanwhile, Jones barely has to phone in for a paycheck in order to portray a grizzled and curmudgeoney authority figure full of piss and vinegar, Damon on the other hand continues to fit nicely into this aging role. In summary, for a popcorn chomping rip roaring action that doesn’t leave much to hide you’ve got a winner, just don’t expect the creative meter to be peaking this go round. Action date movie, maybe? Jason Bourne is rated PG-13.