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Jason Bourne
STARRING: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Tommy Lee Jones
DIRECTOR: Paul Greengrass
Genre: Action thriller
Rating: PG-15
123 mins
Bourne is back! Or Bourne again, if you like. After a fantastic trilogy and a dodgy misstep in the form of a Matt Damon-less fourth film, the world’s deadliest amnesiac is back once again to uncover conspiracies, take down hordes of baddies and remember titbits from his past.
This iteration falls somewhere between the two. It’s an enjoyable action romp with frenetic chase scenes and action beats, but it never quite engages as much as the first three films did.
At least from a personal viewpoint, this was because of the ‘been here, seen that’ feeling. Most of the film felt like re-treading old ground rather than blazing a new trail, and there’s only so many modern action movies that can use hacking, cyber-terrorists and conspiracies as their main plot point before it becomes tedious.
Following a brief re-cap in which we witness David Webb volunteering for a special ops programme, becoming Bourne, losing his memory, and then embarking on a one-man crusade as that memory returns, we are re-introduced to the man himself, and he cuts a forlorn figure.
Exposing his corrupt employers hasn’t brought Bourne any peace, and he’s still living off the grid, channelling his anger and rage as a very efficient bare-knuckle boxer.
Eventually, one of his few remaining allies Nicky Parsons (Stiles) desperately needs his help after ruffling a few too many feathers with the higher-ups, including CIA Director Robert Dewey (Jones).
The pair meet in Athens during protests outside the Greek Parliament, but they are being watched, prompting the film’s first action sequence: an exciting chase through a riot that employs the series’ trademark shaky-cam that lends a mixture of authenticity and nausea to proceedings.
And, so we’re back into classic Bourne territory, with our hero’s efforts to learn yet more about his past juxtaposed with the CIA’s struggle to once again either bring him in or take him out.
Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough new and fresh in Jason Bourne, with much of the film feeling all-too-familiar. The locations are exotic, from Berlin and Reykjavik to London and Las Vegas, but watching the title character dash through airports and train stations in those cities inspires a definite sense of déjà vu.
Characters also seem to be copy-and-paste cut-outs from the previous film. Tommy Lee Jones delivers the irate, no-nonsense performance that he always does, but he’s just yet another CIA suit like those before him.
Similarly, the trained killer that acts as a mirror reflection to Bourne has no personality except to be ruthless and efficient, just like the assassins from the previous films.
The action at least is very good, with a car chase through the streets of Las Vegas a particular stand-out as its level of vehicular destruction reaches Blues Brothers levels.
As for the man himself, Damon is reliable as ever in the role, and it’s great to see him back. There are intriguing revelations about his past; the kind that gives viewers a better understanding of who David Webb was and why he chose that catastrophic path. But, at times, it feels like the filmmakers are filling in blanks that don’t need to be filled, robbing the character of the mystery of his pre-amnesia days, when that ambiguity was part of his appeal.
Jason Bourne certainly ties in thematically with the previous films and opens the door for further sequels. But the real question is: do we really need more Jason Bourne? On this evidence the answer is probably no, with the first three movies tense, tight, taut thrillers as good as anything else in the genre, and this new instalment failing to fully hit those highs or escape their shadow.
Showing at: Novo Cinemas, Cineco, Seef I, Saar, Al Jazira, Wadi Al Sail
Rating: 3/5
