Writer/Director: Tony Gilroy
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Edward Norton and Rachel Weisz
‘A Bourne-ing Reboot’
“The Bourne Legacy” is written and directed by Tony Gilroy. Its screenplay is also written by Dan Gilroy. This film stars Jeremy Renner, Edward Norton, Rachel Weisz, Stacy Keach, and Scott Glenn. Its plot follows Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), a new hero, who’s stakes have been pushed to his limits. “The Bourne Legacy” is the fourth installment in the ‘Bourne’ film series.
Tony Gilroy has big shoes to fill as the director of this film. Missing the elemental Paul Greengrass and actor Matt Damon from the previous movies in this franchise, Gilroy needed a good screenplay for this film to exceed expectations. Unfortunately, this movie just doesn’t work too well. The two main reasons for this are a poor script and bad pacing. Dan Gilroy’s screenplay is a jumbled mess. Its flawed because it just doesn’t explain events very well. The pacing negatively affects this film, because it keeps switching from slow to fast. Gilroy’s direction, however, is passable. Robert Elswit’s cinematography enhances this film. It gives this movie a realistic and grounded look. Even though there aren’t many action sequences, the ones that are present are impressive.
Despite some wasted actors, most of the cast is top-notch. Jeremy Renner delivers a fantastic performance as Aaron Cross. Renner captures his character’s intentions very well and has immense screen presence. He’s a rising star, really proving it with this film. Rachel Weisz is alright as an innocent doctor. Renner and Weisz have subtle chemistry that works. Edward Norton is wasted in a small supporting role. Norton gives a charismatic performance, but his character is very under-developed. The rest of the cast including Stacy Keach and Scott Glenn is mediocre.
This is a very disappointing movie that doesn’t contribute at all to the ‘Bourne’ film series. It’s bland, dull, and missing the magical touch of the previous films in this franchise.
A bland remake of a beloved franchise that has been torn, it’s a bleak reminder that celebrated films about brave spies that suffer from traumatic experiences whose phenomenal stories are well-known are best left alone.
2/5 stars
The Film Buff 
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