The Bourne franchise returned to familiar territory in 2016 with “Jason Bourne,” the fifth film in the series and the long-awaited comeback of Matt Damon as the amnesiac super-spy. After Damon sat out 2012’s “The Bourne Legacy“—a spinoff starring Jeremy Renner that failed to ignite new life into the brand—Universal brought back the proven duo of Damon and director Paul Greengrass. The reunion also included Greengrass’s longtime editor Christopher Rouse as co-writer, signaling a conscious effort to recapture the intensity of the earlier trilogy.

The film introduces fresh faces alongside returning ones. Alicia Vikander steps in as Heather Lee, a rising CIA cyber-ops specialist with her own agenda, while Tommy Lee Jones plays the steely CIA Director Robert Dewey. Julia Stiles reprises her role as Nicky Parsons, but this time she takes on a larger, more pivotal part in the story, ultimately setting Bourne back on a path of discovery and conflict. French actor Vincent Cassel makes a memorable impression as the CIA “asset” tasked with eliminating Bourne.

The plot adheres closely to the series’ proven formula: the CIA views Bourne as a liability and deploys every resource to bring him down, while Bourne unravels more of his mysterious past. This chapter centers on revelations about his father’s role in creating the black-ops program that turned him into a weapon. The discovery, triggered by Nicky’s daring hack of the CIA’s files, draws Bourne out of his self-imposed exile and plunges him back into a globe-spanning gauntlet of surveillance, betrayal, and chase sequences.

Greengrass delivers the action with his trademark handheld, kinetic style, culminating in a standout Las Vegas car chase staged with practical stunts rather than CGI. The set piece underscores why Greengrass’s visceral approach continues to set the Bourne films apart from flashier action franchises.

Despite the craftsmanship and Damon’s charismatic return, the film earned only modest critical praise compared to the high bar set by the original trilogy. Some viewers felt the formula had grown stale—another round of the CIA chasing Bourne, again ending in futility. While the film performed well at the box office, it didn’t recapture the franchise’s peak momentum.

For diehard fans, “Jason Bourne” remains an entertaining entry that delivers exactly what one expects from the series. Yet the repetition leaves questions about the franchise’s future. With Universal reportedly developing a sixth installment under director Edward Berger, fans may hope the next chapter will break the cycle—perhaps by repositioning Bourne not against the CIA, but working with them, or teaming up with other agents to tell a fresher story.

“The Bourne Ultimatum” is the third installment in the Bourne film series with Matt Damon returning as Jason Bourne and Paul Greengrass returning as director. The film picks up from where “The Bourne Supremacy” (2004) left off and further delves into Bourne’s quest to uncover the truth about his past and the secretive government program, Treadstone.

The film begins with Bourne evading capture in Moscow and subsequently recovering from his injuries. He is haunted by fragmented memories of his past and remains determined to uncover the truth about his identity. While Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) has decided to help Bourne, the CIA, led by Deputy Director Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), is still determined to neutralize him.

The role of Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) is expanded in this film, as she decides to help Bourne uncover the truth about his past. The duo uncovers more about Blackbriar, a more aggressive and lethal program than Treadstone. But by helping Bourne, Parsons also becomes a target, leading to the type of epic chase seen we’ve come to expect from this franchise.

Director Paul Greengrass doesn’t depart at all from the tried-and-true Bourne formula. The CIA is run by bad guys, and Bourne is the badass that they can’t seem to kill. But the story doesn’t seem forced. Bourne learns much more about his past in this film, and it wraps up with a clever and logical ending, making it a worthy installment in the franchise.

Also, Greengrass gives us all the action we crave in this type of film. The shaky-cam chase scenes offer up a fun ride, with the final car-chase scene capping the fun. Greengrass’s style may be over-the-top, but it’s much better than all the CGI nonsense we’ve seen in other action films. Fans loved it, as it became the highest-grossing Bourne film.

The rivalries withing the CIA and the interplay between the Joan Allen and David Strathairn characters works well in this installment and helps drive the natural evolution of the storyline from the first two films. Scott Glenn also delivers a solid performance as CIA Director Ezra Kramer in a limited role.

Overall, the film was a huge success as the third installment in the Bourne franchise. Watch the first two and then enjoy the ride with this one as well.

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Matt Damon returns as Jason Bourne in this sequel to the 2002 film “The Bourne Identity.” Paul Greengrass takes over directing duties in this installment and doesn’t miss a beat.

The story picks up two years after the events of “The Bourne Identity.” Jason Bourne and Marie Kreutz (Franka Potente) are living a peaceful life in hiding in Goa, India. However, their tranquility is shattered when Bourne is framed for the assassination of a CIA officer during a covert operation in Berlin, an operation he had no part in. As a result, the CIA, led by Deputy Director Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), believes Bourne has gone rogue and must be taken down.

Bourne is driven to find out who is behind the setup and why they are targeting him. In the process, he uncovers more about his past as a CIA assassin and the Operation Treadstone program. Bourne’s quest takes him across Europe, from Berlin to Moscow, as he evades capture and confronts the people responsible for framing him.

Brian Cox reprises his role as Ward Abbott, the high-ranking CIA official who played a crucial role in the creation and management of Operation Treadstone. He is determined to cover up his involvement in Treadstone and protect his career, and throughout the film, he tries to maintain control over the situation and prevent the exposure of Treadstone’s illegal activities. Julia Stiles also returns as Nicky.

“The Bourne Supremacy” is an excellent sequel to the first Bourne installment, building on the intrigue and action-packed sequences of the first film, while further developing the character of Jason Bourne and his quest for identity and redemption.

Director Paul Greengrass brought his own style to the film, while building on Doug Liman’s excellent work in the first installment. Greengrass is known for his distinct directing style, which incorporates a “shaky cam” or “handheld camera” technique, quick cuts, and a sense of realism. Some fans complained that this technique could be disorienting and difficult to follow, but I felt it worked perfectly. The action scenes are immersive and feel gritty and real. It’s a style that has become popular in the action genre following the release of this film.

“The Bourne Supremacy” did $290.6 million in worldwide box office sales, besting “The Bourne Identity” which hit $214 million. Universal had another hit and a successful franchise on their hands. Like the original, this film was well-received by both critics and audiences.

Over the years, I caught parts of the Bourne movies on cable. These are the kinds of movies you can start watching at any time in the story and enjoy the action. But I only recently made a point of watching these films from the beginning, and it’s naturally a much more interesting and enjoyable watch when you know the backstory. So, if you’re new to the Bourne franchise, try to watch them in order for the best experience.

Enjoy the ride!

Like many good action movies, all of the Bourne films are rewatchable, so it was fun to go back to this film 21 years after its release. The first installment in the Bourne film series was released in 2002 starring Matt Damon as Jason Bourne. It’s the type of role actors dream about. Damon gets the opportunity to explore the many layers of this character while also building a blockbuster Hollywood franchise that certainly paid off nicely. And, who wouldn’t enjoy playing a badass!

The film is an action-thriller film directed by Doug Liman and based on the 1980 novel of the same name by Robert Ludlum. The story revolves around Jason Bourne, an amnesiac who slowly uncovers his past as a highly-skilled and lethal CIA assassin.

The story begins with Bourne found floating in the Mediterranean Sea with gunshot wounds and no memory of his identity. He is rescued by a group of fishermen, and upon examining his body, they discover a small laser projector surgically implanted in his hip, which displays a Swiss bank account number.

With no recollection of his past, Bourne travels to Zurich to access the bank account, hoping it will provide clues to his identity. At the bank, he finds a safety deposit box containing a large sum of money, multiple passports with his picture, and a gun. This discovery makes him realize that he must have been involved in some dangerous and clandestine activities.

As Bourne tries to piece together his past, he is pursued by assassins and law enforcement agents, forcing him to rely on his instincts and extraordinary combat and evasion skills to stay alive. During his journey, he meets Marie Kreutz (Franka Potente), a woman in need of money, and convinces her to help him in exchange for a substantial payment. Together, they travel across Europe, trying to uncover the truth behind Bourne’s past and his connection to the CIA.

The supporting cast is excellent, including Chris Cooper as CIA operative Alexander Conklin and Brian Cox as CIA Deputy Director Ward Abbott. Julia Stiles has a small role in this first installment of the franchise and Clive Owen is excellent as The Professor, one of the assassins unleashed to terminate Bourne. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje also delivers an excellent performance as Nykwana Wombosi.

The film holds up well after all these years. It’s a great action flick. The fight scenes are realistic, and the chase scenes are spectacular. The action sequences aren’t spoiled by silly, unrealistic CGI. We go along on this wild ride with Jason and Marie as Bourne fights off a string of assassins and more of his past is revealed. The spectacular locations were also critical to the success of the film. Scenes in Paris, Prague, Imperia, Rome, Mykonos, and Zürich added to the authenticity of an international thriller involving CIA assassins.

Watch it again (or for the first time) and enjoy the ride!

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* Patrick Goldstein presents the U.K. based “Case of the Vanishing and Less Famous African-Americans.”

* Universal is “circling” a director of commercials named Carl Erik Rinsch for a shot at the big time for a new action flick, writes Michael Fleming. Rinsch, who I never heard of until now, turns out to have an pretty interesting visual approach (more about that in tonight next’s post), but these days every third movie is from some first-timer whose made his or her name doing commercials. Also, Keanu Reeves is the star. Nothing surprising or strange about that, I guess. No, what’s of interest here is that the movie is a new version of the story of the loyal 47 Ronin (leaderless samurai), an oft-filmed national legend — in Japan, that is.

Okay, so Reeves is part-Asian, but his looks are sort of those of a vaguely ethnic white guy, which is usually neither here nor there, but this isn’t “Shogun” or “The Last Samurai” — it’s not a story about some random westerner who finds himself in 18th century Japan. Or maybe it is now. I don’t like pre-judging movies but this just gives me a bad feeling. The 47 Ronin is a dearly held national legend of Japan and they’re going to make a seemingly super-Americanized English language version, and starring this guy?

I know there’s such a thing as non-traditional casting, but this is just weird. Samurai are not merely part Japanese and really can’t be. Remember Boss Tanaka from “Kill Bill” and his reaction to taking orders from a woman who was Chinese-Japanese American? Quentin  Tarantino is one big-time Western filmmaker who knows something about Asian culture; I wonder if there are any others. If any movie were to give Japan’s growing nationalist far-right a boost, this could be it.

But it’s only a movie, right? So, let’s see some Japanese filmmakers get to do a version of the Alamo or the Shoot-Out at the O.K. Corral starring some vaguely Caucasian-looking Japanese actor as Wyatt Earp/Davey Crockett and film it in Japanese. I wonder how that would do in the States. I also wonder what our own ranting nativists would make of that.

* But poetic semi-justice is swift, because also from the mighty pen of Michael Fleming comes the word of casting the “Warriors Three” by Kenneth Branagh of the upcoming “Mighty Thor” flick. Alongside the traditionally more or less Nordic looking Stuart Townsend and Ray Stevenson (who I guess will be wearing a fat suit of some sort as Valstagg or gaining a lot of weight, or will just be the trimmest Falstaff knock-off ever), Branagh has taken the interesting step of going full mongol on the character of Hogun, who was partially modeled on Charles Bronson, by casting the Japanese actor who actually starred in “Mongol” (and Takashi Miike’s probably-never-to-be-seen-by-me gangster gorefest, “Ichi the Killer”), Tadanobu Asano. Yes, this is not your father’s lily-white Asgard.

* Mel Gibson adds to the confusion/mystery around “Max Max 4.”

* And, finally, in non-ethnically based confusion, Nikki Finke reports Carl Icahn appears to be mucking about with the MGM sale, and the ever-opinionated Devin Faraci (well, he’s a pussycat next to Ms. Finke, but who isn’t?) has some interestingly contentious thoughts on the state of geek-oriented film journalism and Julia Stiles/Spiderman/Black Cat rumors.