Review: 'The Bourne Legacy', starring Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz

It almost doesn't seem possible. "The Bourne Legacy starring Jeremy Renner." It doesn't sound right, and likely doesn't read right, either. The thought of a Bourne movie without franchise star Matt Damon likely had the corporate suits at Universal quaking in their Armani suits. But this was the situation they found themselves in after Paul Greengrass, director of the last two installments, backed off, with the supremely loyal Damon following behind him. Remove the head and the rest will fall, right? Not so with the Bourne series, as its heart was still beating strong with the presence of franchise scribe, Tony Gilroy.

Taking over as director and co-writer(along with his brother, Dan), Gilroy has retained the feel and texture of the previous Bourne films, while at the same times spinning the world of corrupt governments and super soldiers off into a myriad of intriguing directions. A vastly different director than Greengrass, who favors a grounded handheld style, Gilroy's approach is a bit more traditional, fitting for a classically built action star like Renner. However, there's nothing traditional about the script, which demands the intelligence of the audience and wastes no time thrusting us right into the shadowy deep. In that sense, those who haven't seen the previous films will likely feel lost for awhile as many of the old players are positioned on the chess board. Those who remember the events of The Bourne Ultimatum will feel instantly at home.

Jason Bourne's exposing of the evil Treadstone has set off a chain reaction nobody could predicted. The fallout revealed the presence of a number of similar shadow organizations, each with their own group of juiced up agents spread around the world. The most volatile and effective of these belongs to the DOJ. Known as Outcome, the collapse of Treadstone and the potential public fallout has forced the program to close up shop as rapidly as possible. That means wiping out all assets around the globe, and doing away with every single operative.

There's one who may be a little tough to put down, though, and that's Aaron Cross. We meet him right from the start, in a scene eerily reminiscent to the opening of The Bourne Identity, testing his body against the harsh terrain of the Alaskan wilds. After a run-in with a fellow operative(Oscar Isaac in a surprising bit role) goes wrong when the government tries to kill them both off, Cross's survival instincts take over. 

In one of many departures from Jason Bourne's modus operandi, Cross's immediate goal isn't to seek revenge. He has no aspirations of becoming the man he was before Outcome transformed him. Quite the opposite, actually, as the medication he needs to maintain his peak mental and physical performance can only be found in one place. Risking capture or death to secure the help of Dr. Marta Spearing(Rachel Weisz), the one friendly face he can remember from the project, Cross scours the globe while the government rounds up their forces to take him down.

Renner doesn't have the same instant likability, that charm factor Damon brought to Bourne. Those expecting Cross and Bourne to have the same demeanor will be disappointed. Cross is equally intense and physical, but also more erratic, lacking Bourne's calculating nature. That's not a bad thing, though, as there is plenty of plotting and scheming to go around with all the government types scrambling to cover their own butts and dealing with the political ramifications of their misdeeds. Edward Norton brings his typical commanding presence as Lt. Col Eric Byer, one of those guys with a murky job title who sits at the top of the food chain and puts all the troops in the right place. Even though he and Cross share few scenes together, Byer makes for an interesting foil who sees his job as a necessary evil to safeguard the country. "What we do is morally indefensible and absolutely necessary."  Weisz does a terrific job adding just enough heart and desperation to the testosterone and paranoia-filled story.

While the action remains swift, brutal, and kinetic, it's less frequent than in the other films. A drawback of the split focus between Cross and the government scheming, we really only get a handful of really energetic set pieces. Fortunately, they all hit that perfect sweet spot of ferocity and bare knuckle thrills, especially in a hair-rising motorcycle chase through the streets of Manila.

What Gilroy and Co. have accomplished here is nothing short of miraculous, reviving a franchise many thought was dead in the water. It takes some serious guts to do what Gilroy did, dramatically changing the focus to a brand new character and adding even more layers. The world of Bourne has grown bigger and stronger than ever.