Reflections
on the nature of conflict in the Jason Bourne films
Directed
by Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass
Principal
screenwriter Tony Gilroy
from
books by Robert Ludlum
Starring Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Julia Stiles, Brian Cox, Joan Allen,
David Strathairn,
Albert Finney et al
The Jason Bourne films
(and here I am referring to the original trilogy of films) were a series of
high-octane spy thrillers renowned for their style, intensity and engaging
characters which exercised a huge influence on other action/adventure films
produced in the same time period.
Filming techniques and
the accompanying music serve to heighten sensory and emotional response but
everything is underpinned by and rooted in a battle between amorality and
purity of heart, tinged with a sense of guilt and an occasional desire for
redemption.
Jason Bourne is trained
to be an unquestioning and highly effective tool in the service of his C.I.A.
masters. He put his faith in the authorities and fulfilled dubious missions
under their instruction without challenge or hesitation until, while on a
mission to assassinate a target, his underlying humanity caused him to hesitate
and as a result he was badly wounded and left with amnesia.
As he struggles to
uncover and pursue clues to his identity and the life he has chosen for
himself, he discovers he has a wealth of combat and judgment skills that enable
him to avoid or elude a variety of dangerous situations while we, the audience,
discover his masters do not necessarily possess the integrity we and Jason might
expect of them.
The storyline cleverly
avoids tarring the entire C.I.A. with the same brush and implies that a number
of senior figures are perhaps tainted by disillusion, ambition or cynicism and
are willing to pursue their own ends without accountability, using Jason to
help them achieve their aims. Of course, Pamela Landy remains a beacon of hope
and integrity, though even she is sidetracked by disinformation and
bureaucratic red tape.
However, the stroke of
genius in terms of emotional engagement and hope for principle, integrity and
morality is that through his amnesia Jason has rediscovered purity of heart and
independence of mind and spirit.
This is a fascinating
turn of events which appears to imply the innate goodness of man who is
influenced and perhaps corrupted by his response to experience, encounters,
events and emotion. Although he is fortunate enough to have retained the skills
he accumulated during his training, Jason’s slate is effectively wiped clean and
this allows him to view situations and circumstances with objectivity and
reason.
Although he can recall
only fragments of his past, he follows enough clues and builds enough of a
picture of his life to find it questionable. As he recalls these fragments, he
judges his actions in his former life and questions his motivations. His
perceptions and judgments are now unaffected by previous thoughts, experiences
and outlooks which may have been blurred, manipulated or falsified. The
fundamental faith he had in his handlers is lost through objective analysis of
evidence, experience and consequences. The only person of standing in the
C.I.A. community who proves herself worthy of his trust is Pamela Landy, and
this trust is gained by way of reason and action.
I think this fundamental
juxtaposition of amoral and Machiavellian methods to pursue one’s own ends, and
the professed pure-hearted desire to lead a simple, peaceful and independent
life is the reason for the Bourne films’ success. Jason is the little man being
pressured and manipulated by forces well beyond his ken but because he is now
free of imposed societal respect and fear, and because he has the means and
indignant determination to right newly-perceived wrongs, he is well placed to defend
himself as it becomes necessary.
It boils down to the
age-old conflict between good and bad, or at least the idealistic and honest
versus the conniving and opportunistic, though in this case the protagonist is
able to use the antagonists’ own methods against them and that adds a sweet
sense of retribution.
While Jason’s success in
bringing down his opponents is satisfying, his true victory is in the fact he
is left to lead his life on his own existential terms, something to which many
of us aspire. Having gained a different perspective, he sought independence and
peace but he was willing and able to defend himself using whatever level of
force his opponents were prepared to use against him, but without initiating
the aggression.
This may not be the first
time a government agent rises above the moral level of his or her creators and
uses his or her skills against them (I’m thinking of television’s “Callan” and
Luc Besson’s “Nikita”), but I think Jason Bourne is the most successful in
terms of entertainment and emotional engagement.
I have to say the use of
amnesia to liberate and exercise man’s innate goodness and allow an objective
review of one’s own life is a masterstroke and, although a vaguely similar
device was used in “Unknown” and “Sleeping Dogs”, once again it is used to
greatest effect here.
My thanks for taking the
time to read this article. I hope you found it of some value.
Stuart Fernie (stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk)
No comments:
Post a Comment