In this Bourne spinoff, The Hurt Locker's Jeremy Renner continues his unlikely bid for action-franchise stardom as Aaron Cross, a next-generation Special Op boosted with bionics. Finding himself a target, he surgically removes his LoJack and goes rogue — but first to see the doctor (Rachel Weisz) because he's running out of meds. Series screenwriter Tony Gilroy directs at a leisurely pace; while a workplace shooting leaves a bad taste (and turns out to be all machina), a motorcycle chase through Manila tailed by a next-next-generation assassinbot does not disappoint. Renner projects too much complexity to be an action hero, and he and Weisz have no chemistry; Edward Norton, as another of Gilroy's conflicted baddies (see Michael Clayton), lacks the heft to play the man behind the curtain in a series that still cameos heavyweights like Albert Finney. And it's heft that's in short supply: Jason Bourne was searching for his identity, but Aaron Cross is just jonesing for a fix.
