On of the beautiful things about a film like Ronin is the subtly it brings to the genre.
Jackson, Sean Bean and Anne Archer who help fill the screen with the authenticity needed from a movie in this genre. The film is filled with talented and familiar actors like Samuel L. The Jack Ryan character is able to outsmart and sometimes out-will the shadow government that is trying to bring him and his family down. Ford’s Ryan isn’t the physical threat that one would expect from a spy action film, but that is the point. Harrison Ford is Jack Ryan in Philip Noyce‘s Patriot Games and brings the same every-man energy that Damon does to Bourne. Jolie brings the same level of believability and vulnerability needed to the role as Damon does, so when she gets ahead of her chasers it is believable but when she is in trouble the audience feels for her and can’t wait to find out how she will escape the situation.Īs is the case with the Bond films, the relationship between Jason Bourne and Jack Ryan is essential to truly understand how each film franchise has influenced the spy thriller genre.
Salt is a movie that relies on Jolie’s stature as a star and bona fide acting ability to make us care about Salt’s fate in the espionage world. This was very much the case with Angelina Jolie‘s Evelyn Salt who is accused of being a Russian spy and must outrun, outfight and outwit the CIA to prove her innocence. The idea that he is a serious actor taking on what might be looked at as a less serious role is important because his ability to connect to the character, acts as a window for the audience. One aspect of The Bourne Identity that gets lost in the action and spy intrigue is the emotional weight of Damon’s performance. The film has everything fans of the spy genre will recognize, a straight laced FBI agent ( Guy Pearce), an international conspiracy and an on the run Special Forces agent. It’s deliberate pacing adds tension to the film and the audience’s perception of whether they can trust Norne. The film gives Don Cheadle‘s Samir Norne character room to maneuver through the world the movie has created.
The film isn’t going to blow the viewer away with its action sequences, but Gilroy’s realistic script provides viewers with the other side of the Bourne films - the role governments play in the shadows, away from cameras and reporters.įor fans of the spy aspects of the Bourne film, Traitor makes an excellent companion piece because it leans so heavily into what makes spy films so interesting. This was the case with 2018’s Beirut (also known as The Negotiator) where Jon Hamm plays a U.S diplomat who must return to his former post to negotiate the life of his former friend. Gilroy wrote the all the Bourne films that Damon was involved in and was able to delicately balance the political intrigue of the film with its action sequences. The prolific screenwriter has created some of the most intense and intriguing stories to hit the big screen over the past 20 years. There are many integral people to the success of the Bourne franchise, but perhaps the most unheralded of those is screenwriter Tony Gilroy. An added feature to the film, is that like Damon, Theron does the majority of her own stunts. Despite being an Oscar winning actress, Theron would propel her career forward in the Fast & Furious franchise, as well as Netflix’s The Old Guard thanks to her portrayal of a secret intelligence spy working with a civilian ( James McAavoy) to figure out what game her government is playing. However, Atomic Blonde burst opened the doors for her to be looked at as a serious action star, similar to Matt Damon’s turn as Jason Bourne. By the time Charlize Theron took on the role of Lorraine Broughton in this graphic novel adaption of “The Coldest City” she had already established herself as an actress willing to explore a variety of film genres.