JASON BOURNE

Cast: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel, Julia Stiles

Director: Paul Greengrass

2 hours 3 mins

In the nine years since Matt Damon raced around the world, beating people up as the brainwashed assassin Jason Bourne, sadly not a great deal has changed. Bourne is now older, beefier, bigger and still as calmly intimidating, having been scraping out a meagre existence as a bare-knuckle boxer in underground fights. He still stalks around, barely restraining his inner power and menace with the merest suggestion that he hasn’t yet let it fully uncoil.

Returning director Paul Greengrass remains the master of breathless non-stop action that, even when embracing chaos, is never less than tightly controlled and supremely comprehensible. Whether it’s an exhausting motorcycle getaway from assassins through streets over-run by rioters in Athens or a relentless demolition derby through ordinary traffic in Las Vegas, we are right in the middle of the mayhem, bombarded by thrills and terror but never losing track of what is actually happening. No one does this better than Greengrass.

So to the narrative. As the world has moved on from the initial confusion and upheaval of the geopolitical, cultural, technological years following 9/11, poor old Jason simply can’t keep up with how much darker and grimmer things have become. The film brings in a Julian Assange-type online whistleblower named Christian Dassault (Vinzenz Kieferr) but he vanishes almost as quickly as he arrives. Privacy concerns through total surveillance are touched upon via the introduction of ultranerd-billionaire Aaron Kalloor (Riz Ahmed) but unfortunately the film can’t seem to decide just what exactly his “Deep Dream” project is offering. Firstly it’s a “new platform,” then it’s something to do with “social networking.” Greengrass, who wrote the script with Christopher Rouse, seems to think that it’s more than enough to suggest that the US CIA wants a backdoor to observe the antics of Deep Dream’s users, but the whole theme is frustratingly vague and underdeveloped.

It actually needs to be said – why is Bourne actually back? Here he is, re-treading his well-worn earlier steps from the previous films - and his story was fairly well wrapped-up after The Bourne Ultimatum. He had regained his memory and ended his pro-killer career, apparently. Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) a stalwart from earlier in the series, also exits relatively quickly, leaving Bourne without a decent companion such as he had in the first outing with Franka Potente’s Marie. It’s all here though - Damon’s brawny presence; the smartly staged action; the globetrotting sequences from Rome to Reykjavik, Berlin to London, and beyond; the effortless ultra-wrinklisms of Tommy Lee Jones as the director of the CIA; the glacially distant Alicia Vikander as a smooth, slippery CIA analyst; the sublime Vincent Cassel as yet another baddie/assassin. But it all really does feel a bit déjà vu and The Bourne Review begs that question – why did they bother?

The Shallows

Cast: Blake Lively, Oscar Jaenada

Director: Jamue Collet-Serra

86 mins

Jaume Collet-Serra’s The Shallows is a shark-featured horror film which will supply audiences with both sufficient terror and thrills to keep them out of the sea for a while. I stress merely temporarily, as despite nature’s non-vocal emphasis that us landlubbers don’t belong there, many continue to paddle, swim and surf despite the signalled warnings. Blake Lively (made-up name surely?!) leads the film with just enough will and hope to keep the film afloat, while Collet-Serra shows a fine ability to turn every single shot into a visually engaging frame. The film may not be totally original, but it’s definitely suspenseful.

Nancy is a strong independent woman, looking for the surf of a lifetime as she finds a very special beach that her mother once visited. Her target for the day is simple - forget about the past and ride the waves until the sun sets. That plan mostly goes according to plan, until she ends up being pestered by a giant killer shark, having accidentally stumbled into its feeding nest. Now, Nancy must dig deep down inside to find her courage and drive to not only beat the beast, but to survive the battle.

The film provides a minimalist plot yet it benefits from this mostly baggage-free approach. We learn more about Nancy and her own personal struggles as the nautical tale progresses, but thankfully it doesn’t weigh things down, spending very little time on setup, which is refreshing. Lively provides a performance both likeable and knowledgeable, while Collet-Serra displays spectacular camerawork. Together, the two make The Shallows an intriguing film that keeps you frozen in suspense with each and every scene. Watching Nancy dip her toes into the water will instantly send chills up your spine. The rest of the film however, is fairly predictable. Some of Nancy’s logic is extremely questionable, but it can mostly be shrugged off and exchanged for pure sea-side enjoyment.

The film works well because of some excellent shark effects and because of Lively’s ability to lead an entire film without much help, aside from a seagull named Steven (hilarity all round).