Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) and the rest of the Outcome project are targeted for death- subjects and scientists alike.   The government people in charge of it decide to scrub the program after the Jason Bourne affair is brought out into the open.   Eric Beyer (Edward Norton) wants to make sure no link to Treadstone can be linked to Outcome.  Outcome uses genetic engineering and virus cocktails via pills to create agents with enhanced physical and mental abilities.   Aaron escapes the attempt on his life and goes to rescue Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz), the only surviving scientist from Outcome because she has something he needs.  

 

THE BOURNE LEGACY is a movie that takes place during the same timeframe as THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM and it is an entry that has connective threads to the Bourne series while taking it into new directions.   It is a straight action thriller- a solid entry written and directed by Tony Gilroy (screenwriter of the first three BOURNE movies).   Bourne is trying to find out who he is in the first movie while getting revenge in the second film and expose the program in the third.  Aaron Cross, on the other hand, wants to keep a grip on what he has become.   He doesn’t want revenge.  He has a simple mission.   

 

The movie is a slow burn for the first half before kicking into high gear with a couple of great action sequences with the motorcycle chase through the streets of manila being a blast to watch.   It helps THE BOURNE LEGACY doesn’t have the shaky camera style of the last two films.    Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz have a good chemistry together and I agree it was wise to downplay a romantic angle in this movie.    On the downside, the bad guys aren’t stand outs in this movie and the film ends very abruptly like it could have used something to better tie it up at the end.   Still I wouldn’t mind another movie in the series with Aaron Cross and maybe they could have Cross meet Bourne.   That would be a sequel I would really love to see.

 

This movie review is (c) 8-12-2012 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com