Director: Paul Greengrass
Writer: Paul Greengrass
Cast: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander,
Years after discovering his true identity, Jason Bourne has settled into a meager living as a street fighter. Using his considerable skills Jason has maintained an unbothered existence until Nicky Parsons a former CIA technician finds him. Nicky isn’t interested in a love connection, she has hacked a CIA computer and uncovered startling information regarding Bourne’s true identity. Her breach doesn’t go unnoticed, the new cyber division discovers her virtual presence and sets off in pursuit of Parsons and their primary target Jason Bourne.
Though it has been over a decade since that fishing vessel found Bourne, there are still many unanswered questions regarding his identity. In this film, we find Bourne a more seasoned fugitive. He’s living off the grid and trying to make the most of his miserable life. There’s no white picket fence and children to go home to. Just a place to rest and wrestle with the ghosts of his fractured memory. If there is a love interest at all in this film, it is Heather Lee (Vikander) an agent in the cyber division trying desperately to make a name for herself and capture Bourne. This love affair is one sided, as Bourne seems unaware of her existence. On the surface, her actions appear to be motivated by ambition but there is something else simmering just waiting to be uncovered. As one would expect the globe-trotting mission to find Bourne is filled with fight scenes, extreme car chases and of course tons of shooting. As exciting as that may sound there is a strange lack of energy in the film. It has been over a decade since the first film, perhaps the years have finally caught up with the franchise and slowed everyone down. Honestly, everyone in this movie seems to be suffering from some sort of sleep deprivation or maybe its apathy. They are all running and chasing but no one seems to care. There is a severe lack of emotion in most of the dialogue. In one of the early scenes, Parsons is trying to share what should be exciting new information with Bourne. However her tone is monotonous and almost robotic, as if discussing the weather. Even whilst in the middle of an intense chase, her expression never changes. Tommy Lee Jones as agent Dewey offers the same deadpan delivery. Though Jones does provide a few one-liners he still seems bored and unaffected by the chaotic scene around him.
In addition to the apathetic delivery of some major players, this film also delivers one of the longest car chases we’ve witnessed in some time. It was like the road trip of all car chases. In all fairness, the action in the film is more believable than most. Special effects are at a minimum and each action sequence is plausible. If you are a fan of the series this film will answer a few of your burning questions about Bourne’s true identity, while simultaneously raising some new questions about Treadstone and the projects that followed. If you haven’t seen any of the films we suggest you binge watch the others before seeing this one. Watching the others won’t make this film easier to follow but it may make it easier to care about what you are seeing.