The Bourne films are a series of action/thriller spy films based on the character Jason Bourne,
a CIA assassin suffering from extreme memory loss who must figure out who he is, created
by author Robert Ludlum. The Bourne Legacy introduces a new character, Aaron Cross, a
Department of Defense operative who runs for his life because of Bourne's actions in Ultimatum.
All three of Ludlum's novels were adapted for the screen, featuring Matt Damon as the
titular character in each. Doug Liman directed The Bourne Identity, Paul Greengrass directed
The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. Tony Gilroy co-wrote each film and directed
The Bourne Legacy. Damon chose not to return for the fourth film.
The character of Jason Bourne does not appear in Legacy, but mention of his name and pictures
of Damon as Bourne are shown throughout the film.
The series is noted for its realism, in contrast to the growing use of computer-generated imagery
in the action genre.
Films The Bourne Identity
A man is found floating in the Mediterranean Sea with two gunshot wounds in his back and
a device with the number of a Swiss safe deposit box embedded in his hip. Upon reaching shore,
the man assumes the name Jason Bourne after finding a passport under the name in the safe
deposit box, along with other international passports, large amounts of assorted currencies,
and a gun. He subsequently attempts to discover his true identity while countering attempts
on his life by CIA assassins, eventually realizing that he is one such assassin who failed to
complete his most recent mission. Bourne breaks his connections to the CIA and unites with
Marie Kreutz, a woman who helped him learn about his most recent actions prior to his
memory loss. Bourne's conflict with the CIA reaches a climax when he takes the fight to
their doorstep. Directed by Doug Liman. The Bourne Supremacy
Some two years after learning that he is a trained assassin and breaking his connections
with the CIA, Jason Bourne is framed for a crime connected to one of his past missions.
A subsequent attempt on his life results in Marie's death, so he decides to take revenge
by hunting down those responsible for her death and his forgotten past, thinking that
the CIA is hunting him again. Bourne discovers that Ward Abbott, one of the men who oversaw
Operation Treadstone, the program which trained Bourne to be an assassin, stole millions of
dollars from the CIA. Abbott meant to implicate Bourne in the theft with the frame-up, which
would have led the CIA on a wild goose chase had Bourne been killed as intended. Bourne
exposes Abbott to Pamela Landy, the CIA officer in charge of finding Bourne, and Abbott commits
suicide. During a long car chase with Bourne, the Russian agent who was paid to kill him
and was responsible for Marie's death is killed, and Bourne goes into hiding.
The Bourne Ultimatum
After six weeks of hiding, Bourne learns that a British journalist has been investigating
his past and contacts him to find out who his source is. Bourne is subsequently targeted
by Operation Blackbriar, an upgraded Operation Treadstone, which has also taken note of the
investigation. Believing that Bourne is a threat and is seeking revenge, Blackbriar's
director Noah Vosen begins a new hunt for Bourne. Bourne manages to take classified
documents proving that Blackbriar has targeted U.S. citizens; he is aided by Landy, who disagreed
with Vosen from the beginning and does not support Blackbriar's existence, and former
Treadstone logistics technician Nicky Parsons. She may have had romantic feelings for Bourne
before his final mission and resultant amnesia. Bourne finally comes face to face with the
person who oversaw his behavioral modification as the first Treadstone operative some years
earlier, memories of which resurface. Those responsible for Treadstone and Blackbriar
are exposed, and Bourne goes underground. The Bourne Legacy
Aaron Cross is a member of Operation Outcome, a United States Department of Defense black
ops program which enhances the physical and mental abilities of field operatives through
pills referred to as "chems". Cross, deployed to Alaska for a training assignment, traverses
rugged terrain to reach a cabin operated by an exiled Outcome operative. Meanwhile, Jason
Bourne exposes the Blackbriar and Treadstone programs in public, leading the FBI and the
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to investigate those involved. Retired Air Force
Colonel Eric Byer, who is responsible for overseeing the Beta program from which the
CIA's Treadstone and Blackbriar were developed, decides to end Outcome and kill its agents.
Cross manages to survive several attempts on his life and seeks a way to get more chems,
as his have run out. Cross eventually comes upon Dr. Marta Shearing, his last link to
gain more chems. He discovers she has no pills but that his physical enhancements have actually
"viraled-out" and are now genetically permanent, so he no longer needs those. He reveals to
her that without the help of the mental enhancements, he possesses a well below average IQ. To avoid
this mental regression, and the operatives hunting them, the two travel to a factory
in Manila and with Shearing's help, Cross survives the possibly fatal process of "viraling-out"
of his dependency of the remaining mental enhancing pills. They evade the Manila police
and an operative from the new LARX program, and successfully escape from the Philippines
on a junk ship. Future
Universal confirmed at a media conference in Los Angeles, California, that they have
plans to release more Bourne films, despite Legacy being given mixed reviews by critics.
In a December 2012 interview, Matt Damon has revealed that he and Paul Greengrass are interested
in returning for the next film as Jason Bourne and the director respectively. On November
8, 2013 Deadline reported that the fifth installment in the franchise will feature Renner's Cross,
with Justin Lin directing. Andrew Baldwin was attached for the film's screenplay writing,
and the release date was set to July 15, 2016. Cast and characters
Crew and other Reception
The Bourne series was met with both critical and commercial success. Ultimatum won three
Academy Awards: Best Film Editing, Sound, and Best Sound Editing. Both Supremacy and
Ultimatum won the Empire Award for Best Film. Box office performance
Critical reaction Production
Director Doug Liman stated that he had been a fan of The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
since he read it in high school. Near the end of production of Liman's previous film
Swingers, Liman decided to develop a film adaptation of the novel. After more than two
years of securing rights to the book from Warner Brothers and a further year of screenplay
development with screenwriter Tony Gilroy, the film went through two years of production.
Liman approached a wide range of actors for the role of Bourne, including Russell Crowe
and Sylvester Stallone, before he eventually cast Matt Damon. Liman found that Damon understood
and appreciated that, though The Bourne Identity would have its share of action, the focus
was primarily on character and plot. Production was difficult, with screenplay rewrites occurring
throughout the entire filming and Liman constantly arguing with Universal's executives. The Bourne
Identity was released in June 2002. The films have been noted for their "well
placed", "understated" and "tastefully done" product placement of a "diverse" range of
brands, which in the case of the third film, earned the producers tens of millions of dollars.
The Bourne Identity features brands such as The Guardian newspaper, BT Tower in London
and Tag Heuer watches. The Bourne Supremacy features mobile phones made by Sony Ericsson.
The Bourne Ultimatum features a total of 54 brands including The Guardian and BT for the
second time; mobile phones made by Motorola, Nokia and Carphone Warehouse, most prominently
the RAZR 2 and SLVR, as Motorola was a major sponsor and had a movie tie-in customized
phone; cars made by BMW, Ford, Mercedes, and Volkswagen, most prominently the Volkswagen
Touareg 2, as Volkswagen provided $25 million in funding; and technology products such as
CTX computer monitors, Norton AntiVirus and the Google web search engine.
Music The scores of the first three films of the
series were written by English composer John Powell, with James Newton Howard scoring the
fourth film, The Bourne Legacy. Powell was not the original choice as composer for The
Bourne Identity—a score for the film had already been composed by Carter Burwell and
recorded by an orchestra, when director Doug Liman contacted Powell to provide an alternative
soundtrack as he was dissatisfied with the music. Partly for budgetary reasons, Powell
scaled down the orchestral score to mostly electronic soundtrack with strings overlaid
to give it a "cinematic feel". The song "Extreme Ways" by musician Moby is
used as the end title theme of all four movies. References
External links Bourne Movies at the Box Office at Box Office
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