How does a Bourne film without Jason Bourne fair? Pretty well, as it turns out...
Director: Tony Gilroy
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Scott Glenn, Edward Norton
Running time: 135 minutes
Ten years ago, in 2012, the fourth instalment in the series of films adapted from the late Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne novels hit the screens. The American action-thriller, which was co-written and directed by Tony Gilroy, was preceded by The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum. However, The Bourne Legacy is Bourne without… well, Bourne. He isn’t dead, no, but without Matt Damon to appear in the movie, the film was crafted without the series’ main hero appearing on screen at all.
Instead, the film serves as an expansion of the original Bourne universe, centred around a genetically-engineered black ops agent named Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), an original character. The film may be a bit all over the place at times, and there is a plot-hole concerning Cross’ final confrontation that cannot be overlooked, but it makes up for this with the fact that Renner is perfect for his role as Cross. In fact, since Renner manages to bring a tougher persona to his character than Damon ever brought to the role of Bourne, he actually manages to execute this type of character better than Damon did in the first three films of the franchise.
Despite revolving around a new and previously unfamiliar main character, the film does stay true to some of the core and classic Jason Bourne traditions
Despite revolving around a new and previously unfamiliar main character, the film does stay true to some of the core and classic Jason Bourne traditions. Yes, I’m primarily talking about the parkour rooftop chase, which is an integral aspect of all Bourne films. The Bourne Legacy would not have resembled a Bourne film without the franchise’s legacy of some rooftop parkour, especially since the character of Bourne himself doesn't feature, so it is a nice touch to incorporate this scene into the film.
In 2016, the fifth instalment of the series, Jason Bourne, would be released, a direct sequel to The Bourne Ultimatum, with Damon reprising his role as the main character of Jason Bourne, leaving fans wondering if this would see him cross paths with Renner's character of Cross, but since the director of the film, Paul Greengrass, simply wanted to tell a story about the franchise’s titular character, this never happened. Maybe one day, eh?
Did you know? Originally a fourth installment for Jason Bourne was planned. However, Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass didn't like the script; Paul Greengrass didn't want to return as director, and Damon would've returned if only Paul would return as director.
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