Good Action, The Best Bourne?

Rating: 7/10 (6 December 2014)

Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) dodges a ruthless CIA official (David Strathairn) and his agents from a new assassination program while searching for the origins of his life as a trained killer.
There are some concerns about this film. First, the continuing use of Julia Stiles, who has proved herself to be a very average actress. Although she showed promise in the 1990s, it never seems to have panned out. But, at least, she is in relatively few scenes.
Second, the use of the shaky camera. While this may be effective for chase scenes and to suggest fast-paced action, the film tends to use it in almost every scene. More often than not, it is not necessary and just gives the impression that the crew had attention deficit problems. (Director Paul Greengrass likes his shaky camera, but he also knows how to keep it under control for films like "Captain Phillips").
As far as a straight action and spy thriller, this is excellent, and very entertaining. Exactly why it gets the critical praise it does is unclear; the Academy was right to nominate it only for technical aspects. But sometimes fun is all you need.