Matt Damon and Jason Bourne are back in what amounts to diminishing returns for the venerable action franchise. Though, you know, it’s not all bad.
Here’s the thing about spy thrillers; you always want more answers than they’re willing to give. But when they do, those answers are rarely satisfactory.
That’s kind of the case with Jason Bourne.
Over the past four movies, three with Matt Damon as the titular character and one with Jeremy Renner as a different program survivor, the mythology of Robert Ludlum’s books has been brought to the big screen. Admittedly in a somewhat altered form, but transitioned quite successfully overall. Across those movies, the secrets of the CIA’s many programs to essentially creative super soldiers have been slowly worked through but one key question has never been answered. Why was David Webb chosen to become Jason Bourne? And movie number five gives us that answer.
Now, I’m gonna tell you what that answer is so this is your opportunity to look away. And when this paragraphs ends, you’ll be safe to start reading again. David Webb’s father was one of the founders of Treadstone but began to rethink his involvement when he discovered that they were vetting his son. The CIA responded by killing Webb’s father and using that as motivation to convince him to “volunteer” for the program. That is how David Webb disappeared and was replaced by Jason Bourne. While this does cover the bases, it’s not particularly satisfying. David Webb’s motivations are not the most original possible. But they do explain why Webb made the choices he made in a relatable fashion. At the same time, it is somewhat anticlimactic. The watcher may have had more personal investment in this reveal if there had been any substantial build up to it.
It’s safe to come back to the review, now.
Matt Damon continues to play the psychogenic amnesiac and juggernaut superspy fantastically. Bourne/Webb has more answers then ever but understands very little about them. And without the guiding hand of CIA at his back, such as it is, Bourne is lost, confused, and directionless. His only goal is to stay off the grid and stay alive. Damon conveys all of that well.
Part of this movie is Bourne coming face to face with the man responsible for everything, CIA Director Robert Dewey as played by Tommy Lee Jones. Dewey is the shot caller that damned David Webb and led him, whether Webb knew it or not, down the path to Treadstone. Dewey also appears to be the hand behind the multitude of programs that followed it. He also is the person who directs The Asset, a Blackbriar assassin previously outed by Bourne’s actions. As it turns out, The Asset also helped bring Webb into Treadstone.
The inevitable and telegraphed fall of Dewey and The Asset are at the core of Bourne coming terms with his past as Webb. It’s hard to be invested in this as, like Webb’s motivations for joining the program, there is little set up for this in previous movies. It’s easy to assume that there is a force behind it all but having a new character suddenly thrust in front of you as the personification of it has a deux ex machina vibe to it. The existence of someone like Dewey behind all of these programs is almost too convenient to be believable. Plus, every one of these movies has a new head honcho that’s behind it all.
The explanation of Webb’s motivations is too easy.
The hand behind it all is too convenient.
The end of the chase is too predictable.
Jason Bourne is one of those movies that shows us some questions are best left unanswered and there’s something to be said about leaving a little intrigue. That’s part of what made The Bourne Identity such a great film; everything it left unsaid. Rather than unraveling the plan, the film just kind of drops it on the table in front of you.
At the very least, Jason Bourne is a solid action film. The fights are great. The Asset is an opponent of reasonable expertise for Bourne to fight. And Heather Lee, the head of CIA Cyber Ops Division, makes for an intriguing character as she plays all sides to get what she wants. The final fight in Las Vegas is suitably epic. Watching the Vegas scene between Bourne and the Asset was mildly amusing for an unrelated reason. Matt Damon and Vincent Cassel, the Asset, were both in Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen. And specifically in Ocean’s Thirteen the two faced off on the roof of Al Pacino’s hotel in Las Vegas.
Their second Vegas faceoff ended much worse for Cassel.
What’s next for this franchise is somewhat up in the air. There has been talk of this being Damon’s last outing as Bourne though it wouldn’t be the first time. There has also been talk of teaming up Damon and Renner in a film. But the way this movie ended, Bourne is still in the wind with a new enemy on his tail. And with the box office numbers supporting it, it would be shocking to not see Jason Bourne back again.