Jason Bourne

Going to start posting all my non-important-film reviews on here now.

There's no doubting that Jason Bourne feels for large chunks of its runtime like a sledgehammer pounding the viewer into submission. The deftness of the editing doesn't go far enough in alleviating the signature, almost headache-inducing shaky cam style. It is true that this particular choice creates a continual heightened state of intensity, but for the most part this energy is misdirected, creating an environment where every scene rather than just the action scenes is emphasized. (Though it is all almost worth it for the emotional impact that occurs when the climactic emotional confrontation starts, as the camera suddenly stabilizes for almost the entire scene.) Nevertheless, despite some rather clunky beats, especially in the first half that operates more in an expository mode, the movie gains traction and achieves genuine, fairly intelligent thrills.

Jason Bourne's plot has been pared down to essentially two narratives, with almost no digressions. The first is that of Bourne's continual quest for answers regarding his past, and the second is the CIA's efforts to both catch him and deal with ramifications following his emergence. Perhaps ironically, it is the second of these plotlines that is more interesting, as the film operates better in a procedural gear that observes as the rapid exchange of information that occurs inside Langley works in concert to find and capture Bourne. In a barrage of technical data on computers, fast-paced dialogue, and clear but urgent commands, the CIA appears like a genuine threat even to a near-superhuman like Bourne, aided in no small part by the coldly menacing performance of Vincent Cassel as an operative, fittingly known only as the Asset.

Bourne himself is a force of sheer will, but lights of humanity continually shine through, especially in the extreme close-ups on his face, tracing the lines and scars of the past that cut even deeper than those on Tommy Lee Jones' face. This sense of humanity is even stronger in the people of the future, so to speak, in the forms of Alicia Vikander and Riz Ahmed. Their characters are played as energetic and ambitious, injecting a sense of tension as both characters' (especially Vikander's Heather) motivations seem unclear.

The sequencing of the film is particularly of note, revolving around three sequences functioning as a continual cat-and-mouse game where the identities can change at a moment's notice. Greengrass cuts smoothly and swiftly, often between three separate viewpoints, as the pursuit moves cleanly between crowds, cramped apartment buildings, and subterranean passageways, before exploding into fast-paced fistfights. The London sequence is perhaps the highlight of these, forming the tipping point where each of the characters' true allegiances is revealed, and Heather must scramble to decide which side she is on.

Despite its glaring flaws, Jason Bourne is a treat, as its frenetic pace eventually envelops the viewer. It's undeniably enervating and dour, but by the time "Extreme Ways" plays, Greengrass, Damon, and co. have announced and made a solid case for their intentions: Jason Bourne is back, both in the narrative and in the real world.