The Bourne Legacy (2012)
Certified: 12
Duration: 135 minutes
Directed by: Tony Gilroy
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Dennis Boutsikaris, Oscar Isaac, Stacy Keach, Zeljko Ivanek, David Strathairn
KRS release

In the fourth instalment of the Jason Bourne franchise, Jeremy Renner plays Aaron Cross, a product of a programme similar to the one that had spawned Jason Bourne in the first film. The latter is now a haunting presence, looming over the government agencies dealing with spies and covert operations.

The elements that had made the first three films so perfect are here once again- Johan Galea

Cross is also a man at a crossroads. The programme has been stopped, the drugs that kept him in check have ceased and he is now a target for assassins.

An initial attempt on his life in Alaska leaves another agent dead (Oscar Isaac). So he goes in search of Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz), who holds the key to making his superior skills a permanent feature.

Dr Shearing has also been through a lot lately. Her friend Donald Foite (Zelko Ivanek) went berserk and murdered all her scientific team.

With the end of the programme, she too is to be wiped out and thus ends up on the run with Cross.

Enter Colonel Eric Byer (Edward Norton) and Admiral Mark Turso (Stacy Keach) who must do everything in their power to minimise the damage of this escalating situation.

The Bourne Legacy explosively takes the franchise into life post-Matt Damon. The elements that had made the first three films so perfect are here once again: it is a spy thriller that is very modern in its outlook with slick action and cold and clinical filming.

Robert Ludlum’s story provided the background but the essence of the movies was in the hyper-kinetic feel to the proceedings and the adrenaline rush that was given to the audience.

It is to be noted that this film’s title is taken from a 2004 novel by Eric Van Lustbader who wrote seven books in the Bourne series after Ludlum’s passing away.

The feel of The Bourne Legacy is more or less in the same vein of the first three movies, but under the direction of Tony Gilroy who had also scripted the first three films, the franchise seems to breathe new life.

The slow build-up gives the picture a simmering tension and, when the action explodes, it is just one breathtaking ride.

The Bourne Legacy introduces not just the idea of behavioural modification into the mix but also of genetic engineering, adding an almost quasi-science fiction dimension.

I like Renner as he brings a certain commitment to his characters. Take a look at the tension he infused The Hurt Locker with to get my drift. He does not have Matt Damon’s schoolboy charms but he does bring a lethal and brimming-with-anger characterisation to the film.

His on-screen relationship with Weisz is also believable.

Norton also brings dollops of menace to the proceedings as he is all out to eliminate all the operatives who had been part of the programme.

This movie gives the franchise a sure-fire start, capitalising on its atmosphere. It ends on a note that will have the audience expecting a sequel, one that focuses more on the Cross character.

The Bourne Legacy lives and breathes on the spirit of the chase that is omnipresent.

It certainly is one of the best thrillers of the year.