Wednesday 3 August 2016

Film: 'Jason Bourne'

Following a recent 'event' in my life, it wasn't the happiest of choices to re-start my film-watching routine with one that features a considerable number of bone-crunching facial impacts - both bare-fisted and with any object near at hand. However, there being  the usual Summertime paucity of adult films around, there was hardly a varied selection from which to choose.

Matt Damon returns to the title role, once again outsmarting and outclassing everyone else in intelligence, physical prowess, determination and sheer guile.  
It's an insubstantial story this; suffice it to say that it involves a hacking into CIA records which occasions Bourne's returning to public life after having gone 'invisible' since his last appearance, and his quest to find out the truth behind the death of his father some years previously.
Tommy Lee Jones is the CIA boss holding the cards, determined that Bourne, on his re-surfacing, be prevented at all costs from finding out what would be detrimental to state security. One of the CIA assistants is Alicia Vikander (is she sympathetic to Bourne?.....or not?) and yet again with her tendency to mumble her lines, though here not quite as bad as she was in 'Ex Machina' and 'The Danish Girl'.
And the principal enemy (for Bourne) 'action man' is mean and tough Vincent Cassell, who just will not lie down.

Apart from CIA HQ in Virginia, action flits from Athens to Reykjavik, to Berlin, to London and to Las Vegas. Lots of chases with chug-a-chug soundtrack, very rowdy at times. It's an 'action' film in its true meaning, there being little plot movement or character development (none at all, in fact). Yet for me it did deliver an adequate measure of entertainment value.

Director Paul Greengrass, a veteran of the Jason Bourne series, knows full well what he's doing and where it's all going, and he succeeds in pulling off a reasonably gripping, tightly-paced piece, the final motor vehicles pursuit being quite the most prolonged and interesting I've seen in some while. 

This film is not by any means the best of the Bourne series; nor is it even the second-best - but I still rather liked it.............6.5. 




12 comments:

  1. I thought tommy lee jones' face looked like a scatter cushion

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    1. That's a good description, J.G. I got the feeling that his face was melting before our very eyes.

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  2. It's a good popcorn movie and Matt does take his shirt off so, yeah, there's that!

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    1. Undemanding stuff, Bob. Lets us give our brains a break.

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  3. I was never a Matt Damon fan - shirtless or not. Tommy Lee Jones is always tolerable - - and, on a positive note, he has defied the vanity of Hollywood by never having plastic surgery.

    The best part of all this is that you are watching films and reviewing again. You deserve a hearty round of applause!

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    1. Applause accepted, Jon, with all due humility. (Ain't I a true creep?!)

      Wish there was a bigger and better range of films on release in these Summertime weeks but I'm struggling to find anything else I really want to see. Next week we get the latest Star Trek. Although not a particular fan I think I've seen them all in the cinema but, oh dear, do I really want to spend time and money on yet another one? Answer: Not really.

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  4. I do enjoy the Bourne films, and Matt Damon, but this sure isn't getting raves.

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    1. It's had a lot to live up to, Mitch, and while this doesn't really cut the mustard, I must say that while it was playing I did get caught up in the excitement. On reflection, though, when compared with the earlier ones it's a relative void. Lots of action without much substance underneath.

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  5. Ray,
    Glad you're back to reviewing films! Pat loves this type of action movie. Me, not so much but I did like the first Jason Bourne movie. I find them good escapist entertainment and will probably watch this movie, preferably with Pat. Glad you're back Ray!
    Ron

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    1. Just leave your brain outside and let yourself go with the flow, Ron, then you'll probably have as much satisfaction with this one as I did. But don't try to compare this with earlier J.B. films, because this one can't.
      Thanks for your warm words, Ron - always appreciated and never forgotten.

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    2. Your reviews are excellent Ray. As I've said before, I don't understand why some newspaper doesn't hire you and pay you good money to write your reviews.
      Ron

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    3. Thanks, Ron, though it's a bit late for that now. I'm feeling signs of weariness about the whole business of cinema-going and am getting inclined to slowly taper it off - but maybe not quite yet.

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