"The Bourne Legacy” is more entertaining that I had expected it to be but less satisfying than it should be.
Written and directed by Tony Gilroy, the fourth installment in the popular series of action thrillers takes place at the same time as the third movie, during which Jason Bourne finally learns who he is and disrupts operations at Treadstone, the super-secret U.S. government organization that created him. Unable to convince Matt Damon to return for the new sequel, Gilroy crams in the Bourne character wherever he can. He gives us brief snippets of dialogue alluding to the events in “The Bourne Ultimatum,” and Bourne’s name pop ups wherever possible, including computer screens, fake IDs and, improbably, on the bottom of a bunk bed in a remote section of Alaska.
The movie opens there with a shot of Aaron Cross diving underwater to retrieve his “chems,” medicine that gives him enhanced physical and mental abilities. Like Bourne, Cross is a Treadstone agent trained to carry out covert ops. Although I do not recall anyone in the previous three movies mentioning the existence of other agents, several are located in strategic positions around world. Unfortunately, a trivial matter convinces the powers that be to kill the Treadstone program by giving the agents a pill that causes them to bleed from their right nostril, which is never a good thing in a movie.
Cross is undergoing training in Alaska, which makes switching his pills impossible, so his superiors attempt to take him out with a missile. They miss, setting off a 90-minute chase during which Cross tries to secure more “chems” and the leaders of Treadstone attempt to kill him. Along the way, he picks up Dr. Marta Shearing, who has knowledge that could be helpful to him.
Gilroy brings a lot of energy and a steadier camera to the action scenes. The second and third “Bourne” movies were notorious for their shaky camera work, and while Gilroy adopts the same approach, he does a better job of stitching individual shots into a visually lucid sequence. A car chase near the end of “Supremacy,” reminded me of William Friedkin’s rapid-fire editing for the famous car chase in “The French Connection.”
Gilroy also mixes in longer and steadier shots, including one memorable sequence in which his camera follows Cross up the side of a house, across the roof, through a window and to the top of a staircase, where he shoots a Treadstone agent located at the bottom. The movie concludes with a breathtaking chase on foot, in cars and on motorcycles in Manila. At times, Gilroy shows just enough to keep viewers anchored in the scene, but there’s no confusion about what’s going on like there was in the previous two movies.
Another plus is how Gilroy shows things rather than explains them. “The Bourne Legacy” is a dialogue heavy movie, but Gilroy saves words here and there by allowing the camera to do the talking. I especially like the scene in which he provides a glimpse of a photo that answers a lingering question.
Also, the acting is terrific. Jeremy Renner, who’s having a good run with “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol,” “The Avengers” and “The Hurt Locker,” is a worthy follow-up to Damon.
Unfortunately, Gilroy hangs his story on thin threads. The only thing he tells us about Cross is he wants to keep his “chems” coming. His desire for them is his sole motivation, which is not as engaging as Bourne’s quest to learn his identity. What’s more, Cross is a morally questionable character. In one scene set before the events of the movie, he’s troubled over a mission during which innocent people died, but later, he ruthlessly kills several Philippine policemen.
Gilroy also never explains who Edward Norton’s character is. He’s clearly in a position to dismantle Treadstone and order the deaths of whoever stands in his way, but his place in the government or the military is unclear.
Despite a weak story and poor character development, “The Bourne Legacy” is worth seeing for its action. Gilroy doesn’t provide a good reason for all of the mayhem, but he
does take your breath away.
Rated PG-13 for violence and action. Three stars out of four. Email David Laprad at dlaprad@hamiltoncountyherald.com.