A worthy addition to the franchise. It's worth seeing for the performances by the two leads.

Rating: 6/10 (19 September 2012)

The Bourne Legacy is a competent action thriller which adds to the trilogy of films made famous by Matt Damon. Obviously Damon isn't in this film so instead Jeremy Renner plays the part of Aaron Cross, a member of an American black ops program. Renner is very good here, and he manages to make Cross into an appealing character. Not only does Renner add a human touch but he is also physically fit so he did most of the stunts himself. Rachel Weisz, as Dr. Marta Shearing, was paired with him for most of the film. Her work is important for Cross. Oscar-winner Weisz was quickly cast for the role of Shearing, and like Renner she's very good here. She's believable as someone who's been thrown into a difficult situation. Edward Norton is another famous name in the cast. He plays Eric Byer, the antagonist of the film and Cross's former boss. The acting in The Bourne Legacy is certainly worthy of praise, especially the performances by Renner and Weisz. What harms the film, however, is the direction by Tony Gilroy. This is a bit strange because Gilroy is an excellent director. His filmography includes Michael Clayton (2007) and State Of Play (2009). He was also the writer for the previous Bourne films. His direction for this film is assured though he didn't do a good job with the action pieces. Most of the action is definitely exciting, but a few scenes were clearly not edited well. Still, the story is interesting. Gilroy is clearly aware of how things are really done in intelligence and the military. While faulty The Bourne Legacy is a film worth seeing. In some aspects I enjoyed it even more than the previous Bourne films.