The Bourne Legacy (2012)
Critics Rating 4/5 Stars. ?The narrative architect behind the Bourne film series, Tony Gilroy, takes the helm in the next chapter of the hugely popular espionage franchise that has earned almost $1 billion at the global box office: The Bourne Legacy. The writer/director expands the Bourne universe created by Robert Ludlum with an original story that introduces us to a new hero (Jeremy Renner) whose life-or-death stakes have been triggered by the events of the first three films. For The Bourne Legacy, Renner joins fellow series newcomers Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach and Oscar Isaac, while franchise veterans Albert Finney, Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Scott Glenn reprise their roles. — (C) Universal
“Structurally, yes, it’s loaded with all the lies, schemes and high-tech trickery that are staples of the espionage genre. But a deeper, more individualistic source of tension propels the film along. Think of it as “Drugstore Cowboy” with an international scope and more explosions. That may help as you compare it with the first three films in the series that starred Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, the amnesiac CIA assassin of Robert Ludlum’s novels, and established Damon as the rare action star who can actually act.
Comparison is inevitable, especially given that a new leading man, Jeremy Renner, now plays the highly trained bad ass at the center of the film’s intrigue. And as a straight-up action flick, “The Bourne Legacy” does come up a bit short, except for one dizzying motorcycle chase through the streets of Manila. But it feels like Tony Gilroy is trying to do something different here, something more cerebral and potentially less crowd-pleasing.” – CHRISTY LEMIRE, AP?? Full Review
