The Bourne Legacy (2012)
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A black ops agent must navigate a web of conspiracy and high-stakes pursuit after the exposure of clandestine government programs.
The story
Following the exposure of the clandestine Treadstone and Blackbriar programs, black ops agent Aaron Cross finds himself on the run. While undergoing a training exercise in the Alaskan wilderness, Cross is forced to navigate treacherous terrain while being hunted by both nature and the government. As the fallout from the exposure of these secret operations grows, Cross must navigate a dangerous landscape to survive. The film explores the consequences of these secret programs and the desperate measures taken by those involved to maintain secrecy or escape the consequences of their involvement.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Six weeks after Jason Bourne's escape from Russia, agent Aaron Cross is assigned a training exercise in the Alaskan wilderness as punishment for going AWOL. He must traverse rugged terrain to find a remote cabin while being stalked by wolves. Simultaneously, Colonel Eric Byer is tasked with containing the fallout from the exposure of Operations Treadstone and Blackbriar. Byer orders the shutdown of Operation Outcome and the elimination of its agents. After a drone strike leaves Cross alive, he travels to Chicago and eventually to Maryland to find Dr. Marta Shearing, the only surviving scientist of the program. They team up to flee to the Philippines to obtain a live virus to make Cross's mental enhancements permanent. They are pursued by Byer's team and a super soldier, LARX #3. They eventually escape Manila by boat. Meanwhile, in New York, Noah Vosen lies to the Senate about the status of Blackbriar. The film ends with Cross and Shearing navigating their next move after escaping the initial pursuit.
- First release year
- 2012
- Runtime (minutes)
- 135
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tony Gilroy
- Writers
- Tony Gilroy · screenplay; Dan Gilroy · screenplay; Tony Gilroy · story
- Cast and characters
- Jeremy Renner · Aaron Cross; Rachel Weisz · Dr. Marta Shearing; Edward Norton; Albert Finney; Joan Allen; Stacy Keach; Oscar Isaac · Number Three; Scott Glenn
- Genres
- action; thriller
- Themes
- conspiracy; espionage
- Tone and mood
- tense; action-packed
- Premise and plot tags
- spy; action; government conspiracy
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was noted for its high-paced action and the performance of its lead actor.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 56% · scale: percentage · review count: 235; Metacritic · score: 61 · scale: 100 · review count: 42
- Production trivia
- The character Jason Bourne does not appear in the film.; The film's score was composed by James Newton Howard.; The film was the 29th highest-grossing film of 2012.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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