The latest addition to the Bourne series is directed by Paul Greengrass and has been named quite simply, Jason Bourne. The reason, we understand as the movie progresses, is because this instalment deals with Richard Webb’s instinctual and inborn inclination towards being Jason Bourne.
The cast comprises of the un-substitutable Matt Damon as Jason, Alicia Vikander as Heather Lee- a CIA counter-intelligence operative (a lovely addition), Julia Stiles as Nicky Parsons- a former operative and accomplice of Jason, Tommy Lee Jones as Robert Dewey- the infamous CIA director, Vincent Cassel as a CIA asset and Riaz Ahmed as Aaron Kalloor- a social media magnate. Cinematography for the film has been handled by Barry Ackroyd, editing by Christopher Rouse and music by John Powell and David Buckley. Based on characters and plotline developed by Robert Ludlum in his famous series of fiction books, this is the fifth instalment of the series and serves a sequel to The Bourne Ultimatum.
After many years, Bourne is forced to resurface when important details concerning his past are brought to his notice. The same chase ensues with the CIA trying to con and catch through their conference room’s counterinsurgency calls primarily made by CIA operative Heather Lee and agency’s director Dewey. But this time around Jason isn’t out there to expose the agency’s programme. He’s out there to trace his past, fueled by a psychology inbred in him, which the agency knows very well and is determined to use that to nail him. Does Bourne break free? More importantly, does he find what he has set himself after? That’s pretty much what the 2 hours 3 minutes, to-the-last-inch, an edge-of-the-seat thriller is all about. Subplots comprising of the CIA’s new plans of global intelligence also interludes.
The movie leaves no breathing space and is filled with tight-lid action and neo-drama that engrosses even the most inattentive by nature. Right from the first minute, precise planning can be seen by the team to make sure the pressure keeps mounting until a satisfactory release at the end. The movie features certain action sequences that quench the greed for that taste of testosterone and will leave the audience burping satisfactorily.
The movie is a globetrotter and we see the scenes shift from Reykjavik to Athens and Berlin and London and Vegas and… guess there were more. That, in particular, has provided scope for Barry Ackroyd, the film’s cinematographer to capture citadels and cityscapes that have come out to be a visual treat. The movie is also home to some of the best car action sequences in recent times. Matt Damon is the same Jason Bourne we saw in Ultimatum nine years back. Alicia Vikander, with an appearance that could be mistaken for a real-life intelligence operative, has given a splendid performance.
Overall the film is a package that has managed to steal away any sense of time with its edge of the seat grip on the audience. The stunt and action sequence are sumptuous and are a delight for the adrenaline junkie. Jason Bourne is one of those movies that will leave one walking and talking like an undercover agent after walking out of the theatre and is essentially an important instalment to the series. Probably the only thought that might cross the viewer’s mind would be that it’s the same old plot pattern as in the previous ones. But then there’s the classic Bourne move in the ending that pretty much makes up for it and will send you home smiling.