Movie: Jason Bourne

Jason Bourne:  a disappointment.  With the return of Matt Damon and with Paul Greengrass at the directorial helm, I was looking forward to seeing this movie.  Two of the prior Bourne films which I enjoyed, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, were directed by Greengrass.  I believe this installment is the first time I’ve used the word “disappointing” in connection with a Greengrass movie.  The problem does not lie with Damon - he does his part.  The problem rests with the script, co-written by Greenglass and Christopher Rouse, and Rouse’s editing.  The basic storyline is that Bourne learns there is more to the death of his father than he had been lead to believe, and his search for the truth moves the plot along.  But there are three big issues that detract from the film.  First: if you’re not already familiar with the Bourne character, the film’s opening will not make much sense.  The last Bourne film with Damon was released in 2007, and it’s been four years since the non-Damon Bourne Legacy came out.  The timeline of the novels upon which the series is based goes back to the 1980”s and ‘90’s.  Second: the bad guy (Tommy Lee Jones), while central to the story, is just not believable.  For those of you familiar with my commentaries, you know that I’m a big Jones fan, but having a CIA leader directing the assassination of CIA people?  Also, there is nothing at all appealing about the other bad guy (Vincent Cassel), who is referenced only as The Asset.  Third: the Vegas car chase scene is way too long.  I could go on.  The only true Bourne moment occurs during the concluding sequence of this 123 minute movie.  The scene is strong enough that if a 6^th Bourne film is made and it includes the Alicia Vikander character, I’ll be in the audience.  After all, I still have pleasant memories of the first three Bourne films and the Jason Bourne character remains a person of interest.  This installment, however, can be skipped.