Susan Granger’s review of “Jason Bourne” (Universal Pictures)
A refresher: Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is a rogue CIA agent. Once recruited to Operation Treadstone, part of the U.S. Intelligence Network, he’s suffered from amnesia while exposing numerous covert conspiracies.
At the conclusion of “The Bourne Ultimatum” (2007), Bourne says he remembers everything. His real name is David Webb, and he’s guilt-ridden about what he did as the government’s pre-programmed killing machine.
After years of anonymity, remorsefully engaging in bare-knuckle boxing near the Greece-Macedonia border, brawny Bourne is once again lured into the open, determined to “learn the truth” about his deceased dad (Gregg Henry), who was also involved with the Agency.
In Athens, Bourne was tipped off by his ex-CIA contact, tech whiz Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), who filched future black-ops plans, including a strategy code-named Iron Hand, infuriating the new Director, Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones), who suspects that her public exposure of top secrets “could be worse than (Edward) Snowden.”
Ambitious CIA analyst Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) is slyly confident that she can bring Bourne in, while Dewey’s hired assassin, known as the Asset (Vincent Cassel), wants him dead, tracking him from Berlin to London to Las Vegas – for personal as well as professional reasons.
Adding to the intrigue is Silicon Valley tycoon, Aaron Kalloor (Riz Ahmed), who duplicitously assures his 1.5 billion users that his Deep Dream social media platform will not tolerate government surveillance, noting, “You don’t need to tell me we live in scary times. I’m Muslim.”
Based on Robert Ludlum’s literary concept, the timely script by longtime “Bourne” editor Christopher Rouse and experienced ”Bourne” director Paul Greengrass sacrifices emotionally engaging character development in favor of visceral, kinetic action.
As a result, there several set-pieces, filled with convoluted foot-and car-chases, notable for Barry Aykroyd’s jittery camerawork, deafening sound, and superb stunt-work. Plus, there’s a spectacular finale in Sin City, whose casino-studded skyline is dominated by a Trump sign.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Jason Bourne” is a frenzied 5. It’s a familiar franchise that could, perhaps, benefit from some lower-octane fuel.
