A cerebral leap

Despite a slightly more sedate take on action, "Bourne Legacy" is a solid addition to the series

By Christy Lemire
Associated Press

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 10, 2012

~~<p>The fourth film in the Bourne franchise, "The Bourne Legacy," may seem heady and intentionally disorienting and hard to follow at first — until you realize it's really about drug addiction, and the lengths to which a junkie will go to get his fix.</p>
<p>Structurally, yes, it's loaded with all the lies, schemes and high-tech trickery that are staples of the espionage genre. But a deeper, more individualistic source of tension propels the film along. Think of it as "Drugstore Cowboy" with an international scope and more explosions. That may help as you compare it with the first three films in the series that starred Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, the amnesiac CIA assassin of Robert Ludlum's novels, and established Damon as the rare action star who can actually act.</p>
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<td><strong>‘THE BOURNE LEGACY’ </strong><br />
<strong>Rated:</strong> PG-13<br />
Opens today<br />
<img src="http://media.staradvertiser.com/images/bullet_bluestar.gif" alt="*" /><img src="http://media.staradvertiser.com/images/bullet_bluestar.gif" alt="*" /><img src="http://media.staradvertiser.com/images/bullet_bluehalfstar.gif" alt="1/2" /></td>
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The fourth film in the Bourne franchise, "The Bourne Legacy," may seem heady and intentionally disorienting and hard to follow at first — until you realize it's really about drug addiction, and the lengths to which a junkie will go to get his fix.

Structurally, yes, it's loaded with all the lies, schemes and high-tech trickery that are staples of the espionage genre. But a deeper, more individualistic source of tension propels the film along. Think of it as "Drugstore Cowboy" with an international scope and more explosions. That may help as you compare it with the first three films in the series that starred Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, the amnesiac CIA assassin of Robert Ludlum's novels, and established Damon as the rare action star who can actually act. ‘THE BOURNE LEGACY’ Rated: PG-13 Opens today Login for more...