I am trying to think of any other movie franchise like The Bourne franchise. Beginning in 2002 with The Bourne Identity, The franchise has successfully been able to make quality, entertaining films with great action sequences and unlike other franchises, they never try to out due the last film. Bourne movies are the model of constancy in Hollywood.
Jason Bourne is the fifth installment of the franchise but also the third installment to be directed by Paul Greengrass. This time around, Jason (Matt Damon) is coming out of the shadows of bare knuckle fighting to uncover a government conspiracy that could be affecting our privacy. Jason faces off against Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander and Vincent Cassel, who are either going to bring in Jason or take him out. All in a world that makes no references to The Bourne Legacy.
Jason Bourne once again does what makes Bourne movies so good and well-remembered: provide great action set pieces that are shot and edited to perfection. The first major action sequence takes place in the backdrop of a government demonstration in Greece that escalates quickly and it was shot beautifully. Paul Greengrass did a great job in setting the tone and the stakes in this sequence and edited the heck of it. And that is not even the best action sequence in the movie, as the third act chase in Las Vegas is even better. Oh and in true Bourne fashion, he still beats people up with common household items.
Matt Damon once said in an interview that he would frequently be asked when he would do another Bourne movie and that he didn’t mind being haunted by that character. Matt’s dedication to the character shows in this movie and he turns in another good performance as the title character. Jason is still the lone wolf with a bad memory but there are moments where you really just want Jason to find peace because Damon gives such a good performance, you feel bad for his character. Tommy Lee Jones plays, well, himself – but as CIA director Tommy Lee Jones. My favorite performance comes from Alicia Vikander, who plays a CIA agent whose intentions are never really revealed and leaves the audience guessing.
Now there are a few drawbacks to Jason Bourne, the main being that this movie feels very formulaic. It seems like there is a formula to these films – a formula that works, but sometimes I’d like to see something different. Jason Bourne follows the formula of Jason is hiding, someone dies at the end of the first act that brings Jason out of hiding; the second act is Jason discovering something about his past, and then the third act is all-out action.
The other issue I had is the second act discovery. Early in Jason Bourne, a character is introduced and their motivation is very clearly and well-established but in the second act, Bourne’s discovery adds more to that character that is not needed and easily could have been used to help create motivation for another character.
Jason Bourne gives you want you want: a solid action movie with the thrills of a spy film. Matt Damon once again delivers what you want from the character of Jason Bourne. And Alicia Vikander steals every scene and your heart. Seriously, she can create world peace with her smile. Jason Bourne may not be the best of the Greengrass/Damon Bourne movies, but their worst is still better than most movies out there.