‘You Know His Name‘, the tagline reads. And by now, after five films spanning fourteen years, it’s safe to say that Matt Damon’s dangerous and determined Jason Bourne is a household name. However Jason Bourne is not a movie that relies entirely on bankability, tropes or gratuitous action sequences. With director Paul Greengrass at the helm once again, we follow Bourne’s story into the age of cyber surveillance and app development as he clashes with CIA Director Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) and struggles to come to terms with his foggy and sinister past. Greengrass’s film seamlessly weaves overarching Bourne storylines and themes with a fast paced and accessible plot that does not require foreknowledge of the franchise to be enjoyed.
The film opens with our hero lost and alone, determined to stay dead in the eyes of the government. Bourne lurks in far off countries, staying in sleazy hotels and boxing his way through the pain and uncertainty of his past. Damon plays this brooding side of Bourne well, but it’s when he jumps into action that he really comes into his element. Receiving his mission from old ally Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), Bourne remerges from the shadows determined to discover the truth and shut down a new attempt at Treadstone, the project that created him. Along the way, Bourne’s story intertwines with that of Aaron Kalloor (Riz Ahmed), young genius and tech mogul whose social media prowess is much in demand within the espionage community. Kalloor brings the franchise into the 2010’s and makes for a juicier plot – perhaps one more palatable to an audience of millenials who may not be familiar with Jason Bourne.
Alongside all of this, we are introduced to CIA agent Heather Lee, played by Oscar winning actress Alicia Vikander. Stony and serious throughout, Agent Lee is clearly not intended to be just another love interest, as so many female characters in action films are. In fact, she has very little direct contact with Bourne and weaves her own story that parallels the hero’s. The total absence of romance and sexual tension was refreshing and made for a more thrilling and serious story that did not rely on typical action movie tropes. It could be read that Greengrass intends Agent Lee┬áto be a recurring character within the Bourne universe and, from my perspective, she is a welcome addition to the franchise.
Greengrass’s familiar style of directing is equal parts frenetic and coherent; ideal for a rich, espionage thriller full of well choreographed action sequences. His return to the Bourne universe alongside Matt Damon (who, after his performance in 2015’s The Martian, is seeing a resurgence in popularity) makes for another entertaining and immersive feature. Who knows what’s next for Bourne, but if the franchise carries on this way then the result is guaranteed to be worth watching.
Isobel Roach