A wonderful action film with everything Bourne fans should expect in a new protagonist

Rating: 9/10 (10 January 2013)

This film was an amazing example of a sequel in a franchise that largely sees new faces, but doesn't fall flat on it's face. The acting was amazing, the overall concept well executed, and the writing was believable. However, this movie fails to garner a full ten stars because an important element was missing at the end, which I will cover in a few moments.
The protagonist of the film, Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), is an active agent as part of project "Outcome" another continuation of project Treadstone and Black Briar built around the use of operatives highly trained and mentally prepared to do the dirty work that is black-ops for the United States in order to maintain the moral integrity for the rest of the institution. However, the character of Cross is different from Jason Bourne in that he has not lost his memory, but instead clings to the program for reasons related to the performance enhancement mentally he receives from the supplements operatives are given on a daily basis. This is all set aflame when the events of the Bourne Trilogy result in Edward Norton's character Eric Byer ordering the termination of every asset of outcome while the media awareness of the operation is diminished. This of course means the elimination of every operative, and the support and science staff that have helped create them.
The first result is many operatives being poisoned, and those in the field, namely Cross, being eliminated by other means. Cross escapes but loses availability to the supplements that allow for his enhanced physical and mental abilities.
Enter Dr. Marta Shearing, played by Rachel Weisz. When one of her coworkers is apparently switched on as a plant in the testing facility where genetic manipulation is researched and begins shooting everyone, she remains the only survivor of the mass killing that is explained as a mental breakdown. When a team of killers is sent to her home to clean up her escape and pose it as a suicide, Cross saves her in order to acquire a supply of the medication. Their fates are now intertwined as both are on the "must eliminate" list of Byers team.
What follows in back story is that Brenner's character Cross was legally retarded before entering military service, and his recruiter lied about his IQ score in order to get him accepted to meet his recruitment quota that month. If Cross does not gain access to the medication he requires, his mental acuity will slip from operational genius to village idiot. Dr. Shearing must therefore help him to make the effects permanent, and provides excellent motivation for both characters as she will likely not survive without the help of the mentally enhanced Cross.
This approach to marry the fates of the main characters was actually very well written. In the action that follows, much is had in the way of explosion and chase that generally defines a Bourne movie. While this action is lighter than some of the other Bourne films, Renner certainly demonstrates a physical ability to keep up with Matt Damon's Bourne. Rachel Weisz is a believable sidekick who is quick witted and relatively in control of herself. This all generates my 9 rating out of ten for the film.
However, and this will explain for many of you the other negative reviews, this movie is missing at least five minutes near the end. While the protagonists escape with their lives from the pursuit of Norton's team and one more operative from yet another Treadstone spin off, there is no resolution in the film for Norton's team and what they are doing to further the covering of their tracks. Yes, a scene with previous films characters and their involvement in the Bourne incident does occur, but Norton's team is simply forgotten at the end. This caused my wife to ask "Wait, that is the end?". Yes, a conclusion exists, but it is lacking that scene where Norton's character at least issues the directive that "all stops are out until they are dead", instead of just leaving it to assumption.
A director's cut could fix this minor flaw, and the beginning of another film could also bridge the gap, and also allow for Brenner and Damon to work together. This film ultimately makes that the desire of the viewer, that both of the legacy heroes come together to fix the world that has wronged them.
No, it is not Jason Bourne, but the spirit of those films is present in so many ways, and those die hard fans and casual action filmgoers will find plenty to enjoy here.