herbiehancock

No 234 - The Bourne Ultimatum Director - Paul Greengrass Yes... we've reached Bourne Three, thus allowing me to start the blog on an EXCELLENT musical pun. Thank you. Much in the same way that Bond always begins straight in the middle of the action, with a mission that's not been followed from the start, so to does this Bourne adventure begin straight in the middle of a pursuit. You have to feel sorry for Bourne . All he wants is to live a quiet life and slowly piece his identity together and he's always being chased. It doesn't even matter how many shady government agencies he topples - he remains on the most wanted list of almost every police force in the world. So here he is - broken, battered and bruised - on the run from the police. Same old, same old. Somehow he escapes and he makes it to lovely old London. So, what is it causing the shit to hit the fan this time? Its none other than Paddy Considine . This time we get our third mysterious government program - ...

No 454 - The Bourne Supremacy Director - Paul Greengrass Things ended on a happy ending for Bourne .... but this is a trilogy of paranoid action thrillers, and so despite the BIG BAD being resolved at the end of Identity, it is time for a new government agency to be out hunting Bourne . This time, Bourne is tackling a far bigger problem. Not only is he still trying to piece together his memories and sense of self (though warped and blurry flashbacks show he's beginning to remember) - but he's also been framed for a fair amount of murder. So we're back on familiar ground. As Bourne runs away confused, chased by an agency who think Bourne is after them. When really all he wants is a quiet life. The first thing that's clear from this sequel is that there is a new director on board. Gone are the slower more paranoid shots and in are quick edits, jittery cameras and a state of CONSTANT FUCKING TENSION This new visual style makes for a far more frantic film and is the st...

No 365 - The Bourne Identity Director - Doug Liman The concept of an unreliable protagonist, one with amnesia, is nothing new . It runs the risk of feeling a bit like a lazy plot development in order to hide things from the viewer. However, when done well it allows the film to explore themes of identity, of self and of ethics. Which sounds pretty deep for a bash people up action film. When we meet Bourne he is left for dead and has no memory of who or what he is. And so the film sets a wonderful little mystery as Bourne tries to figure out his name and his identity through a series of clues and chases. Throughout this we have a dodgy secret agency run by Brian Cox's Ward Abbott but mainly managed by Chris Cooper's Conklin . They believe that Bourne knows everything and is trying to punish them for their past misdeeds (past misdeeds which remain hidden from us and from Bourne ). They believe Bourne must be killed. We also have Bourne's former quarry, Adewale Akinnouye...