Jason Bourne (2016) Film Review

Okay, confession time: I've somehow never seen a Jason Bourne film ahead of this fifth instalment, despite all the critical praise the original trilogy has. The original run of films starring Matt Damon have become such hits with the action genre that many consider them the greatest of their kind this century – with 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum reportedly being so good that it earned $200m more than the first and holds a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. But with Universal Studios hungry for more Bourne despite the story practically being over, they opted to sequelise with a brand new cast and director. This effort was 2012's The Bourne Legacy, and despite new lead Jeremy Renner having just come off from mega-hit Avengers Assemble it failed to capture audience attention. So instead the supposedly impossible happened: both Damon and director Paul Greengrass (who helmed not only Supremacy and Ultimatum, but also the Oscar-nominated Captain Phillips) returned to the franchise that made them household names, and with the castings of Tommy Lee Jones and recent Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander in major roles, it would suggest a return to form for the series. But what's this about mixed word of mouth? 

A decade has passed since the events of The Bourne Ultimatum, and Jason Bourne (Damon) is finally aware of just who he is – a man called David Webb who volunteered for the process of Operation Treadstone. While he's still living in hiding and gets his kicks from partaking in illegal fighting rings, he's accepted his way of life. But when Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) emerges back into his life with news that suggest that not everything is as it seems about his past, things go haywire – becoming chased once again by the CIA for his knowledge. With electronic footprints guiding him across the globe and a large array of agents on his tail, Bourne may have an ally on the inside in the form of Vikander's Heather Lee – the head of the CIA Cyber Ops Division who doesn't exactly see eye-to-eye with current director Robert Dewey (Lee Jones); a man determined to take Bourne down. With ties to his family life and social media outlet Deep Dream (created by Riz Ahmed's Aaron Kalloor), can Jason Bourne reveal all he needs to find and take down the corrupt government operative? 

So what we have here is an enforced extension of the original storyline that not only slightly diminishes the blow of Ultimatum's shocking twist, but also expands upon the mythos for the sake of keeping the door open for even more sequels to come. As far as somewhat cheap franchise pandering goes, it's certainly not the worst to come out, but it is disappointing for a series with such calibre to fall to such effort. And with the story having a rich-enough message to discuss with its NSA storyline, it'd be better if they could decide between this and the personal tale David Webb faces as a primary focus. Not helping is its elongated pacing and runtime, which lends to plenty of slow-going moments that only truly pick up when the action starts to get going; an element that is at least administered strongly. 

You see, the thing about the Bourne series is that the action is well-known for just how visceral and realistic the action comes across as, and here it's no different (I presume). Each punch hurts; every blow creates pain; each crash seems real. Granted, things get a little far-fetched in this ultra-realistic world during a climatic chase through Las Vegas, but aside from that things are adrenaline-filled and awesome – regardless of what people make of Greengrass' visual style. His shaky camera work isn't for everyone, nor does it work for many mimickers (*cough* The Hunger Games *cough*), but when it works it really works, whilst his basic visuals still linger in the mind. Teamed together with cinematographer Barry Ackroyd (The Big Short, Captain Phillips), Greengrass creates just the right style for this franchise reviver.

 In the lead role is, of course, Matt Damon, and here his stern demeanour remains a strong highlight of the film. He's not supposed to be filled with emotion or remorse as that's what he was trained to be like, and he wants so badly to stop all the senseless violence but can't. It may be lying bare in the screenplay, but Damon still conveys it as though it were subtext, truly portraying his beloved character rightly. As his equal – and known only as "The Asset" – Vincent Cassel plays the stereotypical buff type that lacks in much character but truly packs a punch. As his higher up, Tommy Lee Jones is essentially being a Tommy Lee Jones type of character, whilst Alicia Vikander's flourishing personality is mostly absent for the sake of creating a stern and multi-layered character for subsequent sequels; Julia Stiles is underused and feels more like a reason for Bourne to switch to a younger female ally (a pity, because she really seems to be in her element here); Riz Ahmed is underused in a Mark Zuckerberg-like role but does a fine job; Ato "Jesus Christ, it's Jason Bourne!" Essandoh is an unremarkable agent but does well with what little he has; Scott Shepherd is good as the director of national intelligence, and Vinzenz Kiefer is pretty agile for a computer hacker.

Jason Bourne so desperately wants to jump right back into the saddle of its predecessors and their immense success rate that it ultimately falters against its former glory. Despite a good array of actors and visionaries in front and behind the camera, and with much of the action magic still present during smaller instances, what lets the film down is its lacking screenplay and franchise pandering that'll likely upset long-time fans and newcomers. Not worth distressing over, but quite simply disappointing. 5/10.