Decent spin off from a modern classic

Rating: 8/10 (27 February 2013)

Set at the same time as 'The Bourne Ultimatum' this film follows another agent; Aaron Cross as he struggles to survive when his erstwhile employers try to eliminate everybody involved in the programme. Unlike Bourne he has been treated to improve both his strength and his intelligence; this means that he must keep taking medication if he is to remain the person he has become. To this end he seeks out Dr. Marta Shearing; the doctor who oversaw his examinations. It is lucky for her that he does need her help as the agency was intending to eliminate her too. She doesn't have the medication but knows where it is made: Manila. If they are to survive they will have to get to the Philippines and get the medication before the agency can catch up with them; it won't be easy though.
This film is pretty good; there is plenty of solid action from start to finish and a decent story the problem is that while it may have 'Bourne' in the title it doesn't feature the hero of the original trilogy and Aaron Cross isn't as good a protagonist as Bourne was. It also suffers from the fact that you really need to have seen the Bourne films to understand what is going on no time is wasted explaining what things like 'Treadstone' and 'Black Brier' mean. All that said Jeremy Renner does a good enough job as Cross and Rachel Weisz is good as Dr. Shearing. It is clear that the makers are hoping to make more instalments in the franchise as the story doesn't reach a proper conclusion so much so that it might as well have had the words 'too be continued' appearing at the end! I hope they do make at least one more as I for one would like to know how the story ends!