The Bourne Legacy (2012)

This is truly a case of great actors who are left out there in the cold by a director, who essentially does not even try to respect them and the audience's intelligence by giving them something original or interesting. Tony Gilroy had written not only the first three Bourne films but the great Michael Clayton as well but here, it is obvious that he is on a destructive ego trip. Gilroy is more interested in making people see on how smart he is as a scriptwriter and filmmaker than actually try to entertain and stay true to what made the other Bourne films special. With that destructive mind set, Gilroy forgets that you need faith in your actors and the material they are working with in order to drive the movie forward. Gilroy also commits the biggest sin of all, which is to never underestimate the intelligence of your audience.

The script by Gilroy and his brother Dan tries to be cutting edge in scientific jargon and smart dialog but ends up with so many inconsistencies and flimsy characterization that you have to double back twice to see if Gilroy actually had a hand in the original "Bourne Trilogy". The characters in this film are only there to get from A to B and none of them with the exception of Rachel Weisz and Jeremy Renner (Who you can clearly see are both working beyond the call of duty to make something out of their paper-thin roles) has any real purpose at all. Poor Edward Norton is only there to bark orders and you can clearly see how frustrated he is with his role in certain scenes. The direction is not even very good, with pacing problems and a running time that excessively too long for its own good. The action scenes (The few of them in the film) do not jar well and are boring to say the least.

My advice to Universal, if there has to be a sequel, bring back Rachel Weisz and Jeremy Renner (Who both deserve medals for their efforts in making this lazy, self indulgent script work) and get rid of Tony Gilroy, who clearly does not respect anybody other than himself. You might have a better movie if you do.

Fmovies: I was really skeptical going in, but having seen it, I have to say it was frigging AWESOME! Loved every second of it! SO worth the money! Finally something taking Bourne back in business! Bourne Ultimatum was just OK because of the constant stupid camera shaking that just made me mad so I did not enjoy that movie. The camera shaking was just too much. It made it very hard to follow the movie. This one tho was just smooth and cool! Well done Tony! Having said that I would have liked that Matt would have made at least a cameo Its sad and unprofessional for Matt do take a stance like that. "I will only do Bourne with Paul" What are you twelve?". Matt you are the coolest guy on earth, but Tony made a better Bourne then Paul did with the last two.

I really hope Renner and Damon will be in the next Bourne and Tony Gilroy directing!

Thanks to the 2 heroes, I give a good mark though the script was a labyrinth of complications between different US National Security Services and their different projects more or less secret, some of them more secret within secrets because untellable, unacceptable. And when one of those has to disappear, lots of dead people it means. Here is the story of another run-for-his-life hero, Jeremy Renner! He surprised me this actor. He blows the screen from his very first appearance until the last. And Mrs Weisz, the co-runner-for-her-life does well too as an evolving character, a woman scientist who goes from naive close to stupid terrified victim to a full grown resilient survivor, doing very well with Mr Renner. Wow they are good! They SAVE the movie Let's hope there will be a sequel with these two but with a MUCH IMPROVED script, please. I declare myself a fan for Mr Renner (Please forgive my probably curious use of English, my second language...)

The Bourne Legacy fmovies. The Bourne Legacy is the fourth installment of the Bourne franchise and evolves around a new main protagonist, Aaron Cross. The story runs parallel with the end of the third Bourne movie, and concerns itself with the result of Jason Bourne's exposure of the Blackbriar program.

"Outcome", another government program, is trying to cover up themselves by eliminating their agents in order to not get pulled down by the coming scandal set in motion by Jason Bourne's actions. Outcome is an affiliate of Blackbriar and Treadstone, with one significant difference however. Their agents are chemically enhanced to be quicker, stronger and smarter, by ingesting a set of pills. This is where we meet Aaron Cross. Being hunted by his own agency, while trying to get the pills he so desperately need.

What makes this movie watchable is NOTHING but the performance of the lead actors, Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz. Both talented actors with great depth and experience. It is obvious that they are struggling to tap into the emotional vein of their characters, and the script taken into consideration, it is not strange. Despite this, Renner and Weisz manage to pull it off beautifully. This is no doubt due to the undeniable chemistry between the two. Weisz's sensitive and innocent character fits together beautifully with Renner's stoic, cold, and very charming character. Weisz in particular brings some much needed sensitivity to the movie, which otherwise would have been pretty boring to watch. She becomes Cross's object of protection, and it is because of her we even care about his attempt to find safety from his assailants. Without her, this would have been a movie about a man trying to find medicine. In short I have nothing but respect for these two people, and they do a wonderful job despite what would have otherwise been an insult to the series and the genre in general.

Regrettably Edward Norton's character as Eric Byer, the "bad guy" hunting for Aaron Cross seems spineless and unnecessary compared to the other two. This makes him annoying and superficial when he's on, and you can't help but get the feeling that he shouldn't be there. Compared to Chris Cooper's mysterious and secretive character as Conklin, the head of Treadstone from The Bourne Identity, Norton seems even more spineless and unnecessary.This is once again more of a critique of the script than of Edward Norton as an actor, since we know (from for example American History X and Fight Club) that Edward Norton can really act.

This is the kind of movie, where they show every single action sequence in the trailer. As you start watching the movie, you're wondering when it's ACTUALLY gonna start, and when it does start you're wondering what it's actually about. It's very hard to keep track of, and it seems to want to be two things at the same time. It is impossible to watch it without forgetting what you saw in the last three films, because it is so far from the original ones. It is like you are in a completely different universe, and it lacks the charm, mystique and wit that makes a "real" Bourne movie. Paul Greengrass managed to be innovative without compromising the dark, mysterious, kind-of-charming feel of the first movie. For whatever reason, Tony Gilroy has not. The Bourne Legacy is so far from the other three movies that it is hard to believe it's in the same "universe". At the same time it is impossible to understand the plot without keeping track

There is never just one. We've reached our fourth globe-trotting adventure based on the novels of the late Robert Ludlum, and the first without former series lead Matt Damon as the enigmatic superspy Jason Bourne. With its name taken from a 2004 installment not actually penned by Ludlum, The Bourne Legacy explores the ripple effect of the events that played out in The Bourne Ultimatum. While little could be done to cushion the drop in quality that was bound to come with well, anything, that followed that near-masterpiece of action, Jeremy Renner makes an apt substitute and the thrills, wit and set pieces are all top notch, even if it won't quite have audiences asking, "Jason who?"

In the mischievous and highly top secret world of clandestine CIA superspy programs, the program previously known as Treadstone has once again morphed – from Treadstone to Blackbriar and now to Outcome (officially known as Alcom), a bio-weapons division in New York State that operates under the ruse of a pharmaceutical research firm. It is through this project that Rachel Weisz's Dr. Marta Shearing crosses path with Outcome agent Aaron Cross, as her employer's cloak-and-dagger endeavors supply its agent with viral treatments that boost both physical and mental efficiency.

While on a training procedure in Alaska, Cross is nearly assassinated by his own people after it's been decided by the powers that be that Jason Bourne's actions in "Ultimatum" have metastasized beyond repair and all outlying assets must be eliminated (including Dr. Shearing and her peers). Going on the run is one thing for Cross, but now without the pills he has been taking to keep himself stimulated, he faces the threat of crashing like a lifetime heroine addict gone cold turkey – a dire situation which would indefinitely lead to his — and the doctor's — death.

With Tony Gilroy, some will be relieved to be done with the shaky cam approach of Paul Greengrass but what does remain intact is Gilroy's dense, jargon-filled dialogue that even if being dumb, always sounds so incredibly smart. There is certainly no mistaking that this is a film from this universe.

The Bourne Legacy is easily the goriest of the bunch and at times really pushes the envelope when it comes to a PG-13 rating. As evidenced in the trailers, there is an early-set shooting involving Weisz's character and it is quite disturbing and effective in its robotic ruthlessness. Forget the controversial scene in Gangster Squad that is being reshot due to the Aurora, Colo. shootings, this sequence is bound to give anyone close to that event vivid flashbacks. And speaking of Weisz, even in her quiet moments (and she has plenty of loud and quiet) she steals her show coming off as both devastated and strong and nimbly sidesteps the oft- seen trope of the shrieking helpless female victim.

Gilroy's foray has a number of inspired instances, and though "Legacy" could have used about 15 minutes of trimming, it never bores. There are a number of intense and well-choreographed sequences that aptly showcase Cross' lethality and they're presented with enough frequency amidst the bureaucracy. An electric and immensely entertaining sequence takes place back when Cross is back in Alaska and attempting to avoid a quick death both by a military drone and a pack of wolves. I won't spoil anything, but it puts a whole new spin on the "slip your GPS tracker so your pursuers think you're somewhere else" c

Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), a genetically engineered warrior, needs more meds to keep going. The people who ran illegal black ops fear they will be exposed to the government and decide to kill off all these warriors and the scientists who make the meds so they cannot talk.

Basically, this is one big chase movie and it is very exciting. The editing during the foot race, car and motorcycle chases later on are fantastic. I am not sure how much CGI was used as everything looked too real. Great stunts. Kudos.

The supporting cast of Edward Norton, Stacy Keach, David Strathaim, Scott Glen, and Albert Finney do a credible job just as a supporting cast (hey, it's not their movie) trying to kill off Cross and Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachael Weisz) the doctor who knows how to make the meds Cross needs. The way Cross and Dr. Shearing are tracked by Col Byer (Edward Norton) and crew is really incredible as they have access to cameras and satellites worldwide. Quite smooth the way it was done.

I had my doubts about Rachael Weisz in this but she proved more than capable and quite sexy beautiful. She couldn't have been any better. Okay, yes, I fell in love with her.

Now, why Jeremy Renner as a new action hero? Did you forget his role in Tom Cruise's movie Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol? He did a bang-up job in that one looking out for Cruise's Ethan Hunt and had some moves that opened important casting eyes. So it made sense. See?

I almost expected a meeting with Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) and Aaron Cross because in this movie Jason Bourne is alive and doing his thing. They did show Jason Bourne's picture early in the movie and that got me to thinking about a meeting. Didn't happen. But, may in the next movie as you know these sequels will never end. And, that is a good thing. (9/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: No.