Starring: Jeremy Renner Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach, Zeljko Ivanek
Director: Tony Gilroy
Initial Release Date/s: 07/30/12 [NYC Premier], 08/05/12 [Philippines], 08/10/12 [International]
Running Time: 135 Minutes
Thirty two years after Robert Ludlum first published the initial installment of his Bourne book series, a succesion of four films arose. He never lived to see a single one of them on the silver screen. Granted that this one, the fourth and latest installment wasn't his work per se, but the first of many expansion stories written by Eric Van Lustbader, which is still built out of the world Robert had created. You can almost say that it's a reboot, but we'll just call it as it is, a Legacy.
The date may not have been specifically stated, but the events occur at the time Jason Bourne set chaos onto Operation Blackbriar. At this point, the media and public are gaining awareness of this black ops that is stirring itself around the World. As the sustainability of the operation deters, the CIA decides to shut down the program by eliminating all lose ends, which also includes its operatives. As agents of Operation Outcome are slowly being eliminated, one sole experiment manages to survive, his name is Aaron Cross (Renner). Another expendable individual in the operation is a researcher, Dr. Marta Shearing (Weisz), survives a wild murder-suicide in the research facility that works on the drugs that gives the operatives of Operation Outcome "super spy" abilities. Being the only survivors of this massive governmental cleanup conspiracy, they fly across the globe, to the Manila, Philippines [of all places], in hopes of stopping their hunters and escaping the evil eye of Big Brother.
As a joke, Paul Greengrass, the director of the last two films of the Bourne film franchise, called this fourth addition "The Bourne Redundancy." If you have seen the first three, then you would definitely chime in agreement with Greengrass' comments. The plot of this film is very weak and has multiple holes. If you strip away all of the action and thrill, the entire story would just be about an extremely dangerous and violent drug addict on a crazed hunt for his fix. I mean, Renner's character could've just died, and let the off-camera character of Jason Bourne do what he was doing, which is financially and physically cripple the ringleaders of these black ops.
Here's a fun tid bit you can share amongst your friends, in your next social event, if your topic is about The Bourne Legacy. The book this movie is supposedly based from has a completely different story, characters, and premise. Go ahead, check it out.
I was born and raised in Manila, which was where 50% of the film takes place. I was happy to see my hometown/country in the mainstream spotlight. The sights, atmosphere, sound, and somewhat feel had a great impact on me. Seeing several known actors from the Philippines on screen was also great. But what I really wanted to know is, who suggested a very long car chase scene? Seriously, it felt like a filler after the first 2 minutes passed. And on top of all of that insanity, Gilroy tried to attempt to mimic Greengrass' "shaky camera" technique that he used dominantly in the last Bourne movie, which made watching this particular chase scene even more difficult to watch. Hay nako!
All flaws and trivia aside, I'd say that I really liked Rachel Weisz's performance in the film. She was the stand out figure in this entire flip of an action film. Rarely does one see a sole female carry that much weight and responsibility in an film of this particular nature. Jeremy Renner is not too far off, but seeing him play the same role in different titles is getting a bit too much for my liking. Typecasting much?...oh wait, this is Hollywood we're talking about hear.
The other thing that I didn't like about the film was the ending. I almost felt cheated, and you will most likely feel the same if you see it too. Sure it had a soft spot in the end to properly compliment the gritty middle, but it doesn't dignify the film genre of action and adventure. It almost felt like a bad ending to a James Bond movie. If theses guys are planning on sequel to this, then they better find a better way to properly work on their closing scenes.
Overall, the film was an action-packed adventure. Guns, drugs, a girl, motorcycles, third-world country, and corrupt government conspirators, reminded me of my childhood just watching Chuck Norris films that were also shot mostly in the Philippines. It does fit the mold of a typical Summer film, and will most-likely be the least memorable in the franchise.
Verdict: See it when it's on cable/satellite.
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