The Bourne Legacy is a winner on virtually every front. With the Bourne Legacy, brothers Tony, Dan and John Gilroy demonstrate they can continue their Pulitzer prize winner father Frank’s legacy of great story telling as well.
The Bourne Legacy is not a reboot or retread of the series adapted from the Robert Ludlum novels – all of which were adapted for the screen by Tony Gilroy (W/D of Michael Clayton). Instead, with Tony in the role of Director, The Bourne Legacy proves to be a superbly crafted extension of, and arguably an improvement on the earlier films.
Jeremy Renner (Mission Impossible, The Town, The Hurt Locker) as Aaron Cross is a trained assassin for the United States Government categorized as Outcome agent at the time Jason Bourne is last seen (escaping) in New York. The government decides that Pam Lundy’s upcoming testimony before Congress could mean the demise of the various programs. Therefore, it is decided to mothball the programs’, eliminate the agents and deny anything exists. Cross is not very agreeable to the idea of dieing.
However, Cross has a very real problem with a time-limit for solution. Enter Rachel Weisz (About a Boy, Enemy at the Gates, Runaway Jury) as Dr. Marta Shearing. Shearing is the lynch-pin to the solution and thus begins a globe crossing journey.
This installment of the Bourne film series contains significant background, a great storyline and compelling dialog that act as accompaniment to thrilling action. The supporting cast is extensive and of high quality.
Notes:
The Bourne Legacy actually scores only a 3.875 out of 4 because the Canadian Rocky Mountains (Banff area) are depicted as the remote mountains of Alaska. For all the time and money spent on the glamorous side of these pseudo travelogs the Producers could they have made the effort got this logistically and visually correct. Thank goodness the storyline did not include Seattle or I would have had to sit through looking at the streets and skyline of Vancouver as a bad substitute.
Weisz could have conducted a fair amount of preparatory work with a super-agent while staying at-home. She is married to James Bond lead Daniel Craig.
