Ironically, he’s the least interesting part of The Bourne Legacy (which makes a compelling case for Oscar Isaac as its lead until he disappears 45 minutes in). Jeremy Renner was seemingly handed the torch of two franchises ( Bourne and Mission: Impossible) where the original star just stayed. It's still pretty cool to watch Damon walk away to “Mysterious Ways” after deceiving CIA operative Heather Lee ( Alicia Vikander), but it merely promises a more exciting next installment that never came. In particular, Bourne’s escape with Nicky Parsons ( Julia Stiles) on motorcycle through the streets of Iceland and his brutal final brawl with a Blackbriar assassin ( Vincent Cassell) in Las Vegas are among the saga’s best. It's unfortunate because so much of the filmmaking from Paul Greengrass is top-notch. He’s just trapped within a messy story that hastily tries to tie in a backstory about his father that’s never clearly defined.

It's a theoretically interesting concept, and Damon commits to playing the generally empathetic character as a relentless killing machine. The most interesting aspect of Bourne's characterization is his own exasperation at having to return here, he’s no longer exploratory, just grimacing as he brutally unravels another CIA conspiracy.

Jason Bourne fails to justify bringing the character back after a near-perfect trilogy. RELATED: Jason Bourne Was Meant to Kill Nicky Parsons in the First 'Bourne' Film Julia Stiles Explains How She Survived Here are all five Bourne movies, ranked worst to best.

Neither of the last two installments generated much enthusiasm about seeing the story continue, and producer Frank Marshall has indicated that a sixth film is in search of a new voice to reframe the saga’s direction.Įach of the films is fascinating in its own right. Just look at how many bad imitators mistook Bourne’s frantic mayhem as nothing more than hastily spliced together shaky cam and produced embarrassing results. It's hard to imagine a time where Matt Damon wasn’t renowned as an action star, and the presence of a seasoned awards-caliber actor at the height of his popularity as a recurring franchise lead is only one part of the legacy left by Bourne. While the James Bond and Mission: Impossible franchises went through tonal crises in the early 21st century, Bourne became the hardened spy series of the Bush era. The action was nimble and the stories were politically aware, set in the real world of modern espionage.

Diverting wildly from '90s campiness with a gritty, realistic style, the films epitomized the importance of real stunt work when CGI was so often used as a crutch. The Bourne franchise changed the direction of modern action cinema.

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