Jason Bourne (film)

Plot

A decade after he exposed Operation Blackbriar and disappeared, Jason Bourne has finally recovered from his amnesia, isolating himself from the world and making a living by taking part in savage, bareknuckle fighting bouts wherever and whenever he can find them. In Reykjavík, Nicky Parsons, who has been collaborating with a hacktivist group led by Christian Dassault, hacks into the CIA's mainframe computer server to expose the CIA's "black" (top-secret) operations programs. This action alerts Heather Lee, the head of the agency's cybernetic operations division, and CIA Director Robert Dewey. In the process, Parsons finds documents that concern Bourne's recruitment into Treadstone and his father's role in the program. She decides to travel to Athens to find and inform him.

In Greece, Parsons and Bourne meet at Syntagma Square in the midst of a violent anti-government protest. They evade the CIA teams sent to locate them, but Parsons is killed by the Asset, an ex-Blackbriar program assassin who also holds a personal grudge against Bourne, having been captured and tortured following Bourne's actions that exposed Blackbriar. Before she dies, Parsons is able to pass Bourne the key to a luggage locker which holds the CIA files.

Intending to find the answers about his past and family, Bourne locates Dassault in Berlin. Decrypting Parsons's files, Bourne discovers that his father, Richard Webb, was an analyst for the CIA and was involved with the creation of the original Treadstone program. But a "malware" computer program implanted in the electronic files alerts the CIA to Bourne's location, and Dewey sends a team to capture him whilst Lee remotely erases the files to prevent another leak. Dassault attacks Bourne but is killed in the fight. Lee takes the opportunity to alert Bourne to the team's presence as she believes that he can be persuaded to return to the agency. Using the few leads he gathered in Berlin, Bourne tracks Malcolm Smith, a former Treadstone surveillance operative, in London and arranges to meet him in Paddington Plaza.

Lee persuades Dewey's boss, Edwin Russell, the Director of National Intelligence, to allow her to contact Bourne in person to attempt to bring him back in. Dewey, who disagrees with the plan to re-recruit Bourne, secretly authorizes the Asset to eliminate Lee's team and kill Bourne. Knowing that the CIA is watching him, Bourne evades Lee and the Asset long enough to confront Smith. Smith admits that Richard Webb created Treadstone but tried to prevent them from recruiting his own son, David. Under Dewey's orders, the Asset killed Richard Webb in Beirut and staged his death as the outcome of a terrorist attack to persuade Bourne to join Treadstone. Smith is killed by the Asset while Bourne escapes and finds Lee. She admits that she is not comfortable with Dewey's methods and directs Bourne to a technology convention in Las Vegas.

Dewey is scheduled to attend the convention for a public debate on privacy rights with Aaron Kalloor, the CEO of social media enterprise Deep Dream. Kalloor is the public face of corporate social responsibility in the Internet Age, but he has secretly been funded by Dewey. The CIA director intends to use Deep Dream for real-time mass surveillance alongside the latest incarnation of the CIA's targeted assassination 'Beta' program, known as "Iron Hand". Suspecting that Kalloor will refuse to allow the CIA access to Deep Dream, Dewey authorizes the Asset to assassinate Kalloor and Lee, whom he no longer trusts. Bourne arrives at the convention in time to thwart the assassinations and confronts Dewey in his suite. Dewey appeals to Bourne's sense of patriotism as he stalls for time, knowing that agents are closing in. Bourne kills Jeffers, Dewey's right-hand man, whilst Lee kills Dewey before he can shoot Bourne. Bourne covers up Lee's involvement before giving chase to the Asset on the Las Vegas Strip and finally kills him by breaking his neck after an extended all-out fight in a storm sewer.

In the aftermath, Lee convinces Edwin Russell that Dewey's methods were outdated and offers herself as a candidate to become Dewey's replacement as CIA Director to act as Russell's eyes and ears within the CIA. She outlines her plan to use Bourne's trust to bring him back to the agency but recognizes the need to kill him if he refuses. Lee meets with Bourne, promising him that the CIA will become the organization he thought it was when he joined. Bourne asks for time to consider her offer and walks away. Lee returns to her car, finding a recording on the passenger seat of the conversation she had with Russell about bringing Bourne in – making it clear that he was aware of her intentions and does not trust her – before he disappears again.

Cast

Development

In May 2007, prior to the release of The Bourne Ultimatum, Matt Damon stated that he would not be interested in returning for a fourth Bourne film, remarking of his participation in the Bourne franchise: "We have ridden that horse as far as we can." Damon said in August 2007:

I think in terms of another one, the story of this guy's search for his identity is over, because he's got all the answers, so there's no way we can trot out the same character, and so much of what makes him interesting is that internal struggle that was happening for him, am I a good guy, am I a bad guy, what is the secret behind my identity, what am I blocking out, why am I remembering these disturbing images? So all of that internal propulsive mechanism that drives the character is not there, so if there was to be another one then it would have to be a complete reconfiguration, you know, where do you go from there? For me I kind of feel like the story that we set out to tell is has now been told. I love the character, and if Paul Greengrass calls me in ten years and says, 'Now we can do it, because it's been ten years and I have a way to bring him back,' then there's a world in which I can go, 'Yeah, absolutely.' We could get the band back together if there was a great idea behind it, but in terms of now and this story, that part—the story's been told...

Instead The Bourne Legacy was released in the U.S. in August 2012 with Jeremy Renner replacing Damon as the star. Despite getting mixed reviews Universal noted that they planned to continue with the series. . which Damon and Paul Greengrass later expressing interest in returning.

On September 15, 2014, it was announced that Damon and Greengrass would indeed return for the next Bourne film. In November 2014, Damon confirmed that he and Greengrass would return, with a script from themselves, with Christopher Rouse editing. On May 23, 2015, Deadline.com reported that Alicia Vikander was in talks to star with Damon in the fifth film. On June 19, 2015, Deadline reported that Julia Stiles had confirmed she would be reprising the role of Nicky Parsons in the film, a character she had previously played in the first three films. Viggo Mortensen was in talks to play the villain role. On June 23, 2015, Vikander was confirmed to star in the sequel, while she was also in talks for the Assassin's Creed film, which she passed on. On July 28, 2015, Tommy Lee Jones joined the film's cast to play a senior CIA officer. On September 1, 2015, Vincent Cassel was cast in the film as an assassin who tracks Bourne. On September 15, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that actor Ato Essandoh was cast in the film as an unspecified character. On October 20, 2015, Scott Shepherd was added to the cast to play the deputy director of the CIA. On November 4, 2015, Variety confirmed that Riz Ahmed had signed on to play the role of a tech specialist working with the CIA.

Filming

Principal photography on the film commenced on September 8, 2015. In early November, filming took place outside Paddington Station in London. In late November 2015, filming took place in Kreuzberg, Berlin. In early December 2015, filming started in Washington, D.C., where shooting took place at Constitution Gardens. Filming in Las Vegas, Nevada was scheduled to begin on January 14, 2016, lasting until January 21. Production on the film concluded on February 1, 2016. Filming also took place in March 2016 at Woolwich railway station in Greenwich, London. Part of the film (some scenes set in Greece) was shot in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Tenerife island, Canary Islands, Spain).

Release

On January 6, 2015, Universal set the film's United States release date as July 29, 2016. The first trailer for the film was aired on February 7, 2016, during Super Bowl 50 and revealed the title of the film. The film was released in the United Kingdom on July 27, 2016. It was released in 2D and IMAX 3D in select international territories only, using DMR.

Home media

Jason Bourne was released on Digital HD on November 15 and on Blu-ray/DVD December 6 by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to Jason Bourne, as composed by John Powell and David Buckley, was released digitally on July 29, 2016, by Back Lot Music. A new version of Moby's "Extreme Ways", entitled "Extreme Ways (Jason Bourne)", was recorded for the film's end credits.

1. "I Remember Everything" – 2:04
2. "Backdoor Breach" – 3:50
3. "Converging in Athens" – 4:13
4. "Motorcycle Chase" – 6:53
5. "A Key to the Past" – 2:37
6. "Berlin" – 2:02
7. "Decrypted" – 5:34
8. "Flat Assault" – 2:39
9. "Paddington Plaza" – 6:46
10. "White Van Plan" – 2:49
11. "Las Vegas" – 3:48
12. "Following the Target" – 3:29
13. "Strip Chase" – 4:59
14. "An Interesting Proposal" – 2:13
15. "Let Me Think About It" – 2:24
16. "Extreme Ways (Jason Bourne)" by Moby – 4:56

Box office

Jason Bourne became a commercial success, with a modest budget compared to its final gross. The film grossed $162.4 million in the United States and Canada and $253.1 million in other countries for a worldwide total of $415.5 million, against a production budget of $120 million. The film passed the $400 million threshold on October 7, making it the second film in the Bourne franchise to reach this milestone and the second highest-grossing film in the series behind The Bourne Ultimatum. Worldwide, the film opened at number one in 50 markets, scoring the biggest debut in the franchise in 53 markets. In 51 territories, Jason Bourne is the highest-grossing film in the franchise. It is the third highest-grossing film of 2016 (behind Warcraft and The Mermaid) that doesn't involve comic-book superheroes or anthropomorphic animals at its center (including The Jungle Book).

In the United States and Canada, Jason Bourne was projected to gross $50–60 million in its opening weekend. It made $4.2 million from Thursday night previews at 2,928 theaters which began at 7:00pm, becoming the first film in the series to earn above $1 million from previews, although the other four films' screenings began at midnight. On its opening day it grossed $22.8 million, which is the second biggest opening day of the series behind The Bourne Ultimatum ($24.6 million). It topped the box office in its opening weekend as expected with a $59.2 million opening, making it one of the few franchise titles from 2016 to open on par with its predecessor. It is the second biggest opening for the franchise as well as for Damon, just behind the $69 million debut of The Bourne Ultimatum in 2007. The film dropped by 71% on its second Friday ($6.5 million) as a result of the release of the superhero film Suicide Squad. By comparison, the last four Bourne movies all dropped (respectively) 46%, 59%, 57% and 61% on their second Fridays. In its second weekend the film grossed $22.7 million (a drop of 61.6%), finishing second at the box office.

Internationally, Jason Bourne is the highest-grossing film among the series and has secured a release in a total of 78 countries. The film opened day-and-date in conjuncture with its North American release across 46 territories, including Australia, Brazil, South Korea and the U.K. and Ireland. It grossed $22.8 million on its opening day, marking the biggest international opening day for the franchise. It had No. 1 opening days in 28 markets and recorded the biggest opening day for the franchise in the United Kingdom and Ireland ($5.2 million). Through Sunday, July 31, it had an opening weekend total of $50.7 million easily topping the box office as well as debuting at first place in 27 of the 48 markets and scored the best international opening for the franchise. After three weeks of fluctuating up and down the charts, it rose back to the top spot in its fourth weekend after a strong debut in China.

It recorded the biggest opening for the franchise in South Korea ($11.3 million), the United Kingdom ($10.2 million), Australia ($5.8 million) Japan ($4.4 milliin) and Russia ($2.1 million) and had number one openings in France ($3.4 million), Australia, Taiwan ($2 million), Spain ($1.9 million), Indonesia ($1.7 million), the Philippines ($1.5 million) the Netherlands ($1.5 million), Mexico ($1.5 million), the UAE ($1.2 million), Sweden ($1.1 million) and Singapore ($1.1 million).

Brazil was one of the markets that did not open in first place, instead opening in fourth place with $1.4 million. South Korea posted the biggest opening among all other countries and although it faced stiff competition from local titles – Operation Chromite and Train to Busan – debuted in third place. Its opening figure is nevertheless a franchise milestone and comes ahead of competitions like Spectre and Furious 7. Similarly, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, it finished in second place after facing competition with the animated Finding Dory. It had a £7.6 million ($10 million) debut including £2.29 million ($3 million) worth of previews from 563 theaters, a new record for the franchise. However, based on pure Friday to Sunday earnings with the exclusion of previews, the film's £5.31 ($6.98 million) is more or less at par with The Bourne Ultimatum's £5.31 million ($7 million). In just 10 days, it became the second highest-grossing film in the series there. In India, it debuted in second place for a non-local film behind Suicide Squad with $1.1 million.

In China, the film was released on Tuesday, August 23, alongside the animated Ice Age: Collision Course and received an exclusive 3D version. It grossed an estimated $12.3 million on its opening day to record the franchise's best opening day there (other Chinese sources had it at $11.8 million). By comparison, The Bourne Legacy made $12.7 there in four days. In three days, it earned $25.1 million. In total, it delivered a six-day opening weekend total of an estimated $49.1 million – and a Friday to Sunday total of $23.9 million – to record the biggest opening for the franchise there. Its opening numbers alone surpassed the lifetime total of all other Jason Bourne films there. While it had a robust opening, compared to other Hollywood films that also opened on a Tuesday, such as Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (Friday +18%, Saturday +68%) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (Friday +37%, Saturday +88%), Jason Bourne's box office jumps on its first Friday and Saturday were just 13% and 43% respectively. Following a first-place finish, it fell precipitously by 92% in its second weekend, earning $3.8 million. China Film Insider projected that the film will end its run with a total of around $82 million, and also pointed out that had Universal not scheduled its release with Ice Age: Collision Course, the film could've grossed over $100 million. But the film ended up making $66.3 million.

Following North America and China, the U.K. is the film's top earning international market with $30.4 million, followed by South Korea with $19.1 million and Australia with $16.7 million and France with $11.6 million.

Critical response

Jason Bourne received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 56% based on 268 reviews, with a weighted average score of 5.9/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Jason Bourne delivers fans of the franchise more of what they've come to expect – which is this sequel's biggest selling point as well as its greatest flaw." Metacritic gave the film a normalized score of 58 out of 100, based on 50 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.

Mike Ryan of Uproxx gave the film a mixed review, writing: "Jason Bourne is a completely unnecessary sequel that barely moves along the plot from the third movie. And after what a Big Deal it was in The Bourne Legacy that no one could find Jason Bourne, it does feel a bit weird that the return of Jason Bourne seems so anticlimactic." Chris Tilly of IGN gave the film 7/10, saying: "Jason Bourne has a passable plot and a couple of pulsating sequences, which already makes it better than the majority of action movies. But in the context of its predecessors, that isn’t good enough, the new movie never fully escaping the shadow of that previous trilogy, and making you question the wisdom of drawing Bourne back out of the shadows at all."

A. O. Scott of The New York Times described Damon's performance as being "as subdued as ever" and said: "[t]his is perhaps the most striking feature of Jason Bourne: Virtually all the major characters — good, bad and in-between — work for the same organization, at least on a consulting basis. There are dark whispers about external threats, and invocations of the tension between security and privacy in the digital age, but geopolitics and technology are scaffolding for what is essentially a movie about human resources challenges in a large bureaucracy." Peter Debruge of Variety said, "[i]n many ways, Jason Bourne is the most unsettling movie in the series, seeing as it points to a vast conspiracy directed at the American people, and Greengrass’ style — rendered visceral via the marriage of Barry Ackroyd's on-the-fly lensing, a tense techno score, and Rouse's cutting-room trickery — lends itself nicely to an era in which shadow forces rely on such tools as satellite surveillance and facial-recognition software." He went on by saying, "just as the initial Damon-driven trilogy wrapped up Bourne's business but left us wanting more, this sequel offers closure even as it entices us with the possibility of his return."

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3½ stars out of 4, describing Damon's performance as being, "outstanding as the tightly wound, perpetually restless and conflicted Jason Bourne, who is practically a superhero when it comes to fighting but is utterly lost the rest of the time", and said: "Jason Bourne is the best action thriller of the year so far, with a half-dozen terrific chase sequences and fight scenes. At one point the action swings to Vegas, and while some of what transpires is almost cartoonishly over-the-top, it's great fun." Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter found the film's conclusion and the characters distasteful, writing: "unfortunately, then, the film ends on a flat, unimpressive note, as well as with the realization that, no matter how much time we've spent with them, the characters remain utterly one-dimensional", but went on by saying, "technically and logistically, Greengrass delivers everything you expect from him; there's no one better when it comes to staging complex, chaotic action amid the real life of big cities. As before, cinematographer Barry Ackroyd is a great asset in this regard, and all production and effects hands join seamlessly in the achieved goal of physical verisimilitude."

Sequel

Frank Marshall said Universal Pictures is hoping to plan a sequel to Jason Bourne, making it the sixth Bourne film. He also stated that an upcoming film would expand the Bourne universe. However, in March 2017, Matt Damon cast doubt upon a sequel, hinting that people "might be done" with the character.