NEWS: Jeremy Renner In The Bourne Legacy

Here he is. Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross in The Bourne Legacy.


The spin-off franchise promises that Bourne will not be in the movie at all, but instead take off in a new direction.

As Treadstone has died, a new program has taken its place. Albert Finney, Joan Allen, Rachel Weisz, Oscar Isaac and Edward Norton as the villain are to flesh out the cast. Tony Gilroy will take the helm (known for Michael Clayton more recently) and who has worked on the Bourne films in the past.

Renner has also been accused of being in a bar fight with 6 other guys in Thailand hospitalising one man and walking away unscathed. The next Bourne indeed.

REVIEW: Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol

Tom Cruise is back in the latest explosive blockbuster, but is he getting on a bit? 


To any naysayers, I must say I really enjoyed Mission Impossible 3 and thought it was a real step forward for the franchise. This is a worthy sequel and with Abrams still on board as a producer, it is a gun-ho action packed piece of pure cinema to really get the blood pumping.

The story, much like many of this ilk, is inconsequential. Sawyer from Lost has been killed getting some nuclear codes from A to B or something. America and Russia are in another cold war and it's up to Tom Cruise to save the day. There are some great set pieces from around the world with all the whistles and stops that come from such a multimillion blockbuster and there's no doubt you get a lot of bang for your buck. Whether it's jumping out from a skyscraper, a chase scene in a sand storm, a prison escape or just the edge-of-your-seat tension of trying not to blow your cover (that's what she said), Mission Impossible 4 ticks all the right boxes. It must be said Cruise still gives it 110% effort and the results are really up there on the screen, his other cast members also make quite a good team all complimenting one another. Jeremy Renner impresses and shows that he can easily be the next Bourne, even Pegg didn't annoy me which is a first. The villains also might not be of Seymour-Hoffman calibre but still do some scene chewing.

Director Brad Bird has also done extremely well for someone who hasn't done a live action film before, his previous credits being in animation such as The Incredibles and working on The Simpsons for quite a while, and you can't fault his skill. However, the film did have a few issues. Namely, the pace isn't as high-paced as the last one, which might be ok but sometimes we don't need to see every tiny detail that happens with each mission. An example of how this worked before when in MI3 when they are in China, Cruise just suddenly jumps out of a skyscraper from above without the audience seeing anything at all of what happened before. It was a bold move and paid off, however MI4 just carries on the whole 'here's the mission, here's what we have to do, here is us doing it, here's where it's gone wrong, here's how we fixed it' and then kept to that formula about five times during the film. There were a few surprises but there was nothing that made me think it was taking chances, it was just pure spectacle. Which isn't a bad thing.

The added benefit was also that I watched it in IMAX which is always that bit better than seeing it on a normal cinema. There's nothing here that will change the world, but the action is top notch and it's definitely going to make the Bond franchise sit up and take notice again because on all accounts, Mission Impossible is in the lead. Overall, I'd give it an extra mark for IMAX mind-blowing visual candy, but as a film it is good but not great and you can't go wrong with hopping to the cinema to see it, you'll be thoroughly entertained.

Rating: 7/10

The Town

Ben Affleck does it again with a stellar cast providing what could be one of the grittiest heist films in mainstream cinema. Danny Ocean couldn't charm himself out of this one ...

Killing Zoe, Heat, Point Break, these all have some great heist scenes but I never thought the Daredevil himself Ben Affleck would make anything close to films as good as these. After Gone Baby Gone, Affleck shows that his writing and directing skills aren't just a flash in the pan with what I believe is one of the most impressive films this year so far. Not as amazing as Inception, but still.

The Town follows Affleck's character Doug who is an ex-hockey player who has turned to his father's life of crime. His friend James played by the brilliant Jeremy Renner from Hurt Locker fame is a psychopath whose sister, an impressive Blake Lively, is still in love with Doug. All the while, Doug is trying to get out of the life with his new squeeze he met while robbing a bank by taking her hostage, Rebecca Hall's Claire. Hot on Doug, James and the rest of the gang's tail is FBI agent Jon Hamm who people will better know as my personal hero Don Draper from Mad Men. The casting is incredible and each talented actor brings something unique to the story and seeing Affleck as a tortured, depressed, yet ambitious man battling his inner demons and trying to break loose from The Town is a truly affecting battle. It's very important in films for the setting to be just as essential as the actors, and Boston is clearly portrayed as a violent, beautiful, living breathing city but for everyone there, for good or for bad, it's home.

The action was great, the shoot-outs, heists and general violence was spot on with Renner relishing as his ex-con, nihilistic Boston gangster, if you can call them that. The plot is almost a weird love story splintered between action, fraternal love, criminal politics, detective work, self-respect and family issues. There's a lot going on but never are you overwhelmed, it's a perfect balance with Ben Affleck holding it all together like superglue. The pacing is a little slow at times but that's not it's only problem.

Firstly, there is so much emphasis on the love story in the first half that I'd rather they had spent less time on that and more on his other relationships with his friends and family. Also I can't help but always think 'It's Ben Affleck', he's not exactly renowned for these gritty roles and sometimes it can put me off, which is nothing against his acting, just his Hollywood-J-Lo-marriage-celebrity status. Also, even though the heists are amazing, I just wish they had gone on a bit longer and that Jon Hamm, as a bullying, swearing, alpha-male agent got a bit more screen time. I also wish someone asked his partner about the ending of Lost.

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and Ben Affleck might be the next Clint Eastwood in terms of actors creating deep, dark, mesmerising films that are brave and character driven. Unfortunately, it falls just short of being what could have been perfect, it was too long and not snappy enough as it could have been. However, it's an amazing next step for Affleck and I can't wait to see his next venture. Check this film out, you won't be disappointed.

Rating: 8/10