The biggest flack Jason Bourne is getting from mainstream critics is that it’s too familiar – that this new film offers nothing new compared to its three brothers. I must have been watching a completely different film.
I actually think this new film is fresher than it has any right to be. This film is essentially about the ramification of Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne being brainwashed by a country he loves – and finding out that there was a deeper and more personal betrayal mixed into what was already a steaming piece of dung.
The emotional stakes feel more nuanced than anything that has come previously in the series. Bourne has been mentally crippled by the events of the previous trilogy and this film is a case study of how he deals with with that emotional stress.
As many know, I am a lover of villains and Tommy Lee Jones is close to perfect in this film. On the surface, there is not much difference between Jones’ CIA director, Robert Dewey compared with Chris Cooper’s character in the first film or Brian Cox’s character in Ultimatum – but there is an extra level of sinister and, well, believable evil in Jones’ character. I personally thought he stole every scene he was in and reminded me of how much of a heavyweight actor he was.
I also love just how unapologetically political this film is. Some might say it is a little too on the nose, that the references it makes to real world arguments (how secure is your online data?) is a little too transparent, but I think that is what made the film’s conflict believable. It made me believe that the world these characters were inhabiting was my world.
Oh, the stunts and car chases are some of the best I have ever seen. Once again putting a certain British spy to shame.
Honestly, I loved every minute of Jason Bourne. Admittedly the film takes a while to take off, but once it has ditched a certain piece of baggage from previous films, it becomes a breathless, intelligent and thrilling film. I didn’t know I missed the Jason Bourne series until I watched this film and now I am glad it exists.
I can’t wait to see where Bourne’s next adventure takes us.
Just a normal everyday bloke writing about films.