The Jason Bourne franchise was a burst of fresh air in 2001 when it brought a new feeling of focus and realism to the action genre that had begun to be increasingly dominated by Die Hard ripoffs, special effect extravaganzas, a Bond stuck in goofier and goofier set pieces, and mostly failed attempts to crossover Hong Kong action into America. Although the Bourne series would eventually become known as the trendsetter when it came to quick edits and shaky cam (this didn't really happen until Paul Greengrass took over on The Bourne Supremacy), I felt it never deserved this criticism and isn't responsible for the negative use of those elements (Greengrass is still the best user of this method) in lesser and later films.
Top Fifteen Action Scenes
(15-11)
15. “Jason Bourne takes out Treadstone in Paris” -The Bourne Identity (Link - Partial)
13. “Assassin Finds Bourne in Goa” -The Bourne Supremacy (Link)
12. “Bourne vs the Professor: Shotgun in the Woods” -The Bourne Identity (Link)
11. “Fighting the Asset in Vegas” -Jason Bourne (Link)
(10-6)
10. “Bourne Protecting Ross at Waterloo Station” -The Bourne Ultimatum (Link)
9. “Escaping the American Consulate” -The Bourne Identity (Link)8. “Berlin Foot Chase: Hotel to the Train” -The Bourne Supremacy (Link)
7. “Athens Riot & Motorcycle Chase” -Jason Bourne (Link - Partial)
6. “Swat Tank Chase in Vegas” -Jason Bourne (Link)
(5-1)
5. “Munich Magazine Fight” -The Bourne Supremacy (Link)
3. “The Pen Fight” -The Bourne Identity (Link)
2. “Bourne vs. Desh in Tangiers” -The Bourne Ultimatum (Link)
-The quintessential Jason Bourne sequence to me is an extended and increasingly intense chase punctuated by a visceral fight or car chase. The top two action sequences on the list are the epitome of the what the series had to offer and compose the top shelf of "grounded" spy action. The style after The Bourne Supremacy was so influential that Martin Campbell essentially spent the first hour of James Bond's 2006 reboot in Casino Royale in Bourne's image.
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