July 30, 2012 (New York City)
August 10, 2012 (United States)
The Bourne Legacy is a 2012 American action-thriller film directed by Tony Gilroy, and is the fourth installment in the series of films adapted from the Jason Bourne novels originated by Robert Ludlum and continued by Eric Van Lustbader. The film centers on black ops agent Aaron Cross (portrayed by Jeremy Renner), an original character. In addition to Renner, the film stars Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton. The Bourne Legacy was preceded by The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007).
The Bourne Legacy is the only film in the franchise that does not feature titular character Jason Bourne, as actor Matt Damon chose not to return because Paul Greengrass was not the director. Bourne is shown in pictures and mentioned by name several times throughout the film. Tony Gilroy, co-screenwriter of the first three films, sought to continue the story of the film series without changing its key events, and parts of The Bourne Legacy take place at the same time as the previous film, The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). Aaron Cross is a member of a black ops program called Operation Outcome whose subjects are genetically enhanced. He must run for his life once former CIA Treadstone agent Jason Bourne's actions lead to the public exposure of Operation Treadstone and its successor, Operation Blackbriar.
Filming was primarily in New York City, with some scenes shot in the Philippines, South Korea, and Canada. Released on August 10, 2012, the film received mixed reviews and grossed $276 million at the box office. It was followed in 2016 by Jason Bourne, with Damon reprising his role.
Storyline
Six weeks after Jason Bourne's escape from Russia after his meeting with Irena, Operation Outcome agent Aaron Cross (Number Five) is assigned a training exercise in the Alaskan wilderness as punishment for going AWOL. He must traverse the rugged terrain to find a remote cabin while being stalked by wolves. The cabin is operated by Number Three, another Outcome agent there as punishment. Cross lies and tells Number Three that he has lost his program medication dog tags containing "chems" that Outcome agents must take to maintain their mental and physical enhancements.
Colonel Eric Byer is tasked with containing the fallout from Pam Landy's exposure of Operations Treadstone and Blackbriar. He and his team find several videos of Treadstone and Outcome medical directors Albert Hirsch and Dan Hillcott, respectively, being together posted online that could lead investigators to Operation Outcome. Byer orders Outcome to be completely shut down and all of the agents and participating doctors killed to protect the secrecy of other clandestine programs.
Byer deploys an armed drone to eliminate Cross and Number Three. Number Three is killed when a missile from the drone destroys the cabin, but Cross – who was outdoors when the drone struck – survives. He shoots down the drone with a rifle and removes a subdermal tracking implant from his hip. He traps an aggressive wolf and forces it to swallow his tracker. Another drone targets the tracker and kills the wolf, leading Byer's team to conclude that Cross was killed. At Sterisyn Morlanta, the pharmaceutical company supporting Outcome, researcher Dr. Donald Foite seemingly snaps and methodically shoots down Hillcott and his colleagues who have been working on Outcome. After being cornered by guards, Foite shoots himself, leaving Dr. Marta Shearing as the program's sole survivor.
Cross travels from Alaska to Chicago to recover a stashed car, money, and fake identification. Running low on chems and seeing news that his Outcome provider, Dr. Shearing, had survived the shooting, he drives to her home in Maryland. Meanwhile, Byer sends four assassins disguised as federal agents to kill Dr. Shearing and make it look like a suicide. Cross intervenes, kills the assassins, and burns down Dr. Shearing's house to cover their escape. Shearing tells Cross that the program already used a virus to make his physical enhancements permanent, eliminating his need for physical chems. Since it is impossible for Cross and Shearing to obtain more mental chems, they plan to fly to the Philippines to obtain a live virus to make Cross's mental enhancements permanent.
Cross and Shearing use false identities to fly to Manila, bluff their way into a pharmaceutical plant where Sterisyn Morlanta has a research lab, and infect Cross with the live virus. Meanwhile, Byer's team finds CCTV footage of Shearing at JFK airport and determine her itinerary. Byer also learns that Cross is alive and that he, too, flew to Manila. Byer alerts Mackie and the plant's security team, but Cross subdues the security guards and causes a panic on the plant floor; Cross and Shearing escape in the commotion. Cross becomes incapacitated from the virus, so Shearing hides him in an apartment to recover. Byer dispatches LARX #3, a chemically brainwashed super soldier, to kill Cross and Shearing. The next morning, Cross recovers from being injected with the virus. Local police discover Cross and Shearing's hideout, but they escape on foot. The police and LARX #3 chase them by motorcycle through the streets of Manila. They lose the police and Shearing kills LARX #3, but Cross is shot and loses consciousness. Shearing bribes a nearby boatman to help them escape Manila. Byer and his team, who lost their trail, raid the empty apartment for clues; they find the message "No More" written on the mirror with Cross's medication dog tags hanging beside it.
Back in New York, Blackbriar supervisor Noah Vosen lies to the Senate, stating that Blackbriar was created solely to track down Bourne and that Deputy Director Pamela Landy committed treason by aiding Bourne and releasing top secret Treadstone files to the press. Meanwhile, Cross recovers from his bullet wounds on the boat out of Manila, where he and Shearing use a chart to determine where they should go next.
Also See
- The Bourne Identity (2002)
- The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
- The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
- Jason Bourne (2016)
Movie Trailer
- The Bourne Legacy (2012) (Trailers)
Sound Effects Used
- Hollywoodedge, Bicycle Bell Rings Sm PE190701
- Hollywoodedge, Doppler Horn By LeftT PE079801
- Hollywoodedge, Dry Skids Long Squeal PE297001
- Hollywoodedge, Gusts Heavy Cold Wind PE031601/Whistling Wind Stead PE033301
- Hollywoodedge, Large Ceramic Pot Bre TE023001/Pottery Drop Break PE112401
- Hollywoodedge, Police Whooper Siren CT062101
- Hollywoodedge, Wood Door OCKnob PE180101 (open sound)
- Hollywoodedge, Yelper Siren Multipl PE081101 (Heard continuously in normal and high pitches.)
- Sound Ideas, BIRD, CROW - COMMON CROW: CALLS, ANIMAL