There was a point where Jason Bourne was considered a legitimate millennial replacement to James Bond. The forgetful assassin/spy had this gritty everyman feel that put the suave Bond to shame for the first couple films. After the Bourne Supremacy, it became clear the series had probably peaked, and Bond recaptured the spy throne with Skyfall. Jason Bourne (the movie) is a further sign that this series is on its downward arc, but still a lot of fun to be a part of.
Mr. Bourne (Matt Damon) has been living reclusively on the Greece Albania border, struggling to find his place now that he figured out most of his past. Apparently not all of it though, as previous confidant Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) comes to Bourne with hacked CIA files. This hack also draws out Director Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) and his protege Heather (Alicia Vikander) to confront and suppress the hack and Bourne for once and for all. They also enlist the help of the Asset (Vincent Cassel), who has a bone to pick with Bourne due to their past together.
The action, while not spectacular, is still executed strongly. Director Paul Greengrass’s style is kinetic and visceral, relying on the shaky cam to put us into the fight. It is always a thrill watching Bourne navigate chaos around him; those scenes so clearly establish his character quickly and wordlessly. Each scene has a character in motion, keeping the story moving forward breathlessly toward its end. Action sequences also rely heavily on ingenuity, making them feel different and real. The first Bourne was famous for the spy using a magazine to beat up his opponent. Here, pots, chair legs, and weights get used in fights because they are near the combatants. The final act is fun but too over the top, but it is also probably necessary because the movie needed a whoa! moment. Greengrass’s direction gives a restless energy to the story that even when it slows down to explain stuff, you are ready to move again at a moments notice.
It’s a little sad to see Bourne this formulaic though. Once again, he has to discover some government cover-up that redefines his understanding of his own past and present. Sadly, these plot twists feel tired and just….boring. There’s no real emotional gut punch with the reveals. The new spin on the story is whether Heather can convince Bourne to come back to the CIA, and what he should do with his time. However, this GIGANTIC shift in character from previous films doesn’t fit well with the espionage core of a Bourne film. As such, what’s left is a poorly constructed story that introduces a new CIA with an old Bourne. More thought needed to go into the story than the Vegas car explosions.
This role showed us a side of Matt Damon we didn’t know existed. The guy is still a treat to watch as the aging but dangerous spy. He can still beat people up, but Damon effectively sells the life crisis Jason Bourne is going through, with zero words. This is a study of a professional actor doing a professional job to a run-of-the-mill movie. Alicia Vikander is a nice addition to the story. Heather has lots of agency for someone who’s great at technological espionage, and her arc is more interesting than Bourne’s since she’s a welcome blank slate. Tommy Lee Jones is always welcome as the old codger director set in his ways, and Vincent Cassell is cold and scary enough as a character named “Asset” should be.
I had a “oh…ok….so that’s it” moment when the Jason Bourne credits rolled. It’s a little sad, since these films have been so much fun, but I’m mostly ok with it, because of the ability to transform the series into something hopefully bigger than just Matt Damon. Plus it satisfied my yearning to see cars land on trucks in Las Vegas Casinos that I now want to see in every car chase going forward.