The Best Films of the Zeroes: 25

25. THE BOURNE TRILOGY. (2002, 2004 + 2007)
Directed by Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass

You could argue that this is something of a cheat, and I couldn’t really disagree, but, still, my list, my rules. There are enough similarities between the three films in the trilogy that I think it’s acceptable to keep them as one (for the record, all three films in the trilogy would have both made the top 100 on their own).

The entire trilogy is something of a game changer. People had used handheld camera and shaky editing for their action sequences before THE BOURNE IDENTITY, but never to this effect. For the first time, for me, it wasn’t alienating, but an integral part of the story and characterisation of the decade’s most enduring action hero, Jason Bourne.

It’s scarcely credible, now, that in the summer of 2002, when people were attempting to judge the two new potential blockbuster hits: Matt Damon’s THE BOURNE IDENTITY and his friend Ben Affleck’s THE SUM OF ALL FEARS, that this was considered the bigger risk.

Doug Liman’s film is a high-octane thriller with some staggering action sequences. There’s no doubt that this was the film that began Hollywood’s fascination with parkour and the sort of fight scenes that have since become a staple of the biggest franchises. No Jason Bourne, no CASINO ROYALE, it’s as simple as that.

The second two films saw a growth in terms of the characterisation, and thus brings depth to the story as well. In THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, the roles flip and Damon’s character becomes the hunter rather than the prey. It’s a subtle change, and one brought even more power due to Greengrass’ bravery in throwing away the rulebook for blockbuster action cinema – the second film ends with a low-key conversation, in which Damon’s character admits his guilt to the family of one of his victims, it’s an emotionally raw conclusion to a film in a genre that had forgotten about the possible impact of emotional engagement from your audience.

The third film, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM is the best of the three, I think. It follows a similar formula to the first two films, having Bourne as prey and hunter, here, but features the two best set-pieces of the series so far. The first, a tense scene at Waterloo station is almost Hitchcockian in its execution, while the second, a rooftop chase followed by a brutal fistfight is as good an action scene as there was in the decade. Not only did The Bourne franchise revolutionise action cinema, but it did it in a positive way. As the films became smarter, they became more successful. Surely, that’s a lesson that even Hollywood can’t ignore?