Matt Damon as Jason Bourne
In recent years we have seen many action franchises try to be successful and create characters that audiences can’t help but love.
But only one film franchise and character can rival the great action heroes of the past… and that is Jason Bourne.
When the Bourne Identity was released in 2002 it was labelled the America's answer to James Bond but over the three instalments Bourne has become a successful franchise in its own right.
The film took Oscar winning writer Matt Damon and over the course of three films; Identity, Supremacy and Ultimatum, turned him not only into an action hero but a bona fide Hollywood leading man.
The movies were based on the Bourne series of books by Robert Ludlum and they are so much more than action movie as it part political thriller, part espionage part mystery as Bourne has to fight to discover just who he is and who he use to work for - and he has to do all this whilst keeping himself alive.
Damon delivers a terrific performance throughout the trilogy and he really is the audience’s eyes throughout the whole series.
We go on this fascinating journey of discovery for him and he is a character that we invest a lot of time in as we get to know him as he gets to know himself.
But what is so interesting about this character and this series of film is Bourne isn’t the complete good guy as he has made morally grey decisions in his past and it is great to see that he is not painted as this whiter than white hero.
The Bourne Ultimatum in particular poses some difficult questions of our main character; is Bourne a killer, or was he merely doing what he was told, built into a brutal killing machine by the government that is trying to kill him? Did he enter into the programme with a full knowledge of what he would become or was he manipulated?
Doug Liman directed The Bourne Identity before Paul Greengrass took over the director’s chair for The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum while Tony Gilroy penned all three of the scripts.
Another great aspect of the franchise is the realism that was created by both of the directors it does stand apart from many of the other modern day action movies that are fuelled by CGI special effects.
Jason Bourne is one of the greatest action heroes of the 21st Century and I have my fingers crossed in the hope that we will see Damon return to this role.
Click here to buy The Complete Bourne Movie Collection Box Set (4 Discs)
A Good Day To Die Hard is out now.
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