The Bourne Legacy:

The Bourne trilogy has always had a separate place in the movie world. James Bond may come close, but Bourne's brand of hard as nails action at breakneck speed simply stands alone. And so when the Bourne Legacy was announced, us action buffs were chuffed to bits. However, with Paul Greengrass opting out and Matt Damon not reprising his role, we wondered if it would still be the same.

Essentially, the rogue actions of Jason Bourne, namely his attack on Operation Blackbriar, cause the CIA, headed by Retired Col. Eric Byer (Edward Norton), to shut down black ops programs including Treadstone – leading to the execution of countless field agents and support staffers. After narrowly avoiding an attempt on his own life, Cross is forced into a kill or be killed chase as he flees the covert purge. Unfortunately, Cross is low on his “green and blues” – drugs supplied by the CIA through “Operation Outcome” (a Treadstone offshoot) that give agents an intellectual and physical edge in the field. Cross seeks out another CIA target, Outcome physician Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz), in an effort to find more of the necessary medication. Without the drugs, Cross and Shearing don’t stand a chance against Byer’s ruthless (and blood-drenched) attempt at containing Blackbriar fallout.

Cross does the usual Bourne routine: car chases, parkour and running all the time. Directed by Tony Gilroy, the man who wrote the first three movies of the trilogy it is an adrenaline fueled ride. But it does miss the direction of Paul Greengrass as it tends to meander with excessive plot details and explanations, that add excess runtime and even make you wonder about the length of the action sequences which start to feel drawn out as a result.

Jeremy Renner does a great job even if the script isn't exactly very conducive to him displaying his acting abilities. The film does miss Matt Damon and the intrigue he brought with his search for his origins. The standard CIA and government and agents are starting to feel a bit old after three movies of toeing the same line.

Edward Norton and Rachel Weisz do well, but their characters simply lack depth. Weisz comes off across as a popcorn heroine, rather than the gritty and intense characterisations we have come to expect from this franchise. Ditto for Norton, whose only job is to react to what his agents and operatives tell him.

There is also an interesting sub theme at play here, Cross's battle is more of an attempt to get his pills so that he can keep at his high physical and mental levels that he has become accustomed to (Think "Limitless").

The music is taut and the action brilliant, the tension and intensity seem to hang in the air like a giant mushroom cloud. A case could be argued for an over complicated plot which wasn't really a feature of the Matt Damon trilogy. Also, certain terms from the earlier three films are used and it is assumed that the viewer does know certain things. But, it is still an enjoyable film on its own and can be viewed without any previous experience of Bourne's derring do.

While the film lacks the Bourne experience and misses Matt Damon's silent emotion, it is still eminently watchable. The action is as good as it gets and is good enough for the movie to be solely watched for it. For all action buffs, who've had their fill of superheroes tearing cities apart and want some gritty, hard nosed action, this is the film you've been waiting for.

Despite all this, it really dosen't feel like a Bourne film. Mr Damon, if somehow this gets to you: this isn't the kind of 'legacy' we were hoping for. All we'd want is for you to be the intelligent man's badass one last time.