Jason Bourne

Review by king_ruckus
7-29-16

Jason Bourne brings Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass together for the third time in this series(The Bourne Identity was directed by Doug Liman, and The Bourne Legacy was a bit of an outlier).  While the film has more hits than misses and is worth a second look, it still ends up being their weakest outing together.  The third time isn't quite the charm, but It's still an entertaining, thrilling ride.

As a fan of the newer Bourne films(with the exception of The Bourne Legacy, haven't seen it yet...not sure I want to), I'll admit I walked in expecting a certain level of action and intrigue.  Jason Bourne certainly doesn't disappoint.  We get everything from quick, brutal fight scenes to high octane chase sequences, all with the signature Greengrass style that fans have been yearning for ever since this film was first announced.

One of the minor complaints I have about Jason Bourne is that the story surrounding the action is a bit too predictable.  In the interest of keeping this review as spoiler-free as possible, I'll just say that if you've seen the previous Bourne films, you can guess what will happen with certain plot points and characters very early on.  It reminds me of how the FOX series 24 ended up after maybe season five or six; It was still fun to watch, but easy to guess how things would go.

Breaking up some of this predictability are solid performances from Matt Damon and the entire cast.  Alicia Vikander(Ex Machina, great film!) turns in an excellent performance as Heather Lee.  Throughout the film her motivations aren't entirely clear.  Vikander did a wonderful job of dancing that line, keeping the audience guessing as to whether or not she was really Bourne's ally.

Tommy Lee Jones was also pretty damn good as CIA Director Robert Dewey.  His distinctive style fit the character perfectly.  Julia Stiles, returning as Nicky Parsons(David Webb's love interest), also left a lasting impression.  Vincent Cassel, as the "Asset" tasked with hunting down Bourne, was great in his somewhat limited time on screen.

My other small gripe with Jason Bourne comes in the form of a subplot that occasionally takes the spotlight away from Bourne and his own personal mission.  This has been done before in other Bourne films, but here the subplot really isn't as interesting.  To be fair about it, the writers did tie it in fairly well, and you do need some sort of "break" here and there in these types of films.  This subplot certainly does slow things down.  Not to a screeching halt, but still enough to where the change was noticeable and my excitement waned a bit before things picked up again.

Overall, I enjoyed the film.  The complaints I have are minor.  While it's easily the weakest of the Damon/Greengrass trilogy, the other two films in that trilogy, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, are so damn strong it's almost an unfair comparison to make.
If you've seen the film, let us know what you thought of it in the comment section.  Thanks for reading!

Pros
We get the level of action we've come to expect from Greengrass and Damon
Excellent chase sequences.
Great performances from the entire cast, with a few standouts.

Cons
"By the numbers", predictable at points.
A certain subplot occasionally snatches focus away from Bourne.

Rating
B

Editor's Note: You will see this review posted elsewhere in the coming days with a slightly different rating system.