Poster © Universal Pictures. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
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GenreAction, Adventure & Thriller
RatedPG-13
Runtime2 hr 15 mins
ReleasedAugust 10, 2012
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorTony Gilroy
StarringJeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton
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The Bourne Legacy (2012)
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| iIMDb Profile | %Rotten Tomatoes |
| WWikipedia | LLetterboxd |
| TTMDB | +Add to Top 8 |
| The Bourne Legacy's Details | |
| Genre | Action, Adventure & Thriller |
| Rated | PG-13 |
| Released | 07/30/2012 (New York City); 08/10/2012 (United States) |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 2 hr 15 mins |
| Budget | $125M (reported) |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Based On | Jason Bourne series by Robert Ludlum |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| The Bourne Legacy's Interests | |
| General | Alaskan snowfields, hungry wolves, secret labs, program meds, drones, rooftop chases in Manila. |
| Music | James Newton Howard, plus a fresh take on Moby's "Extreme Ways" over the credits. |
| Movies | The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). This one happens at the same time. |
| Television | 24. Another guy having the worst week of his life. |
| Heroes | Aaron Cross. Outruns wolves, drones and his own bosses. |
| The Bourne Legacy's Crew | |
| Director | Tony Gilroy |
| Writers | Tony Gilroy, Dan Gilroy, Tony Gilroy (story) |
| Producers | Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley, Jeffrey M. Weiner, Ben Smith |
| Cinematography | Robert Elswit |
| Music | James Newton Howard |
| Edited By | John Gilroy |
| Production | Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Captivate Entertainment |
| Distributed By | Universal Pictures |
Jason Bourne appears in The Bourne Legacy mostly as a photo on somebody’s monitor, the first clue that this is a spin-off wearing the main series’ name tag. Jeremy Renner’s Aaron Cross spends a lot of 135 minutes hunting for his medication, and a spy thriller built around a prescription refill is a tough sell. Edward Norton gets to stand in control rooms barking at screens, and that’s about it. The structure is strange, too. The first hour cross-cuts slowly between Alaska and Washington, and the finale is a long motorcycle chase through Manila that ends without a real showdown. Rachel Weisz is terrific as a scientist who realizes her job just made her a target, and an early scene in a snowed-in cabin with Oscar Isaac is tense and odd in the best way. It made $276.1 million worldwide on a reported $125M. A 5.2 because it’s well made and weirdly pointless. $4,676 says you call your pharmacy about a refill this week and say it like the fate of a secret program depends on it.
What works: Rachel Weisz gives the movie real stakes, and the cabin scene with Oscar Isaac is a tense, strange highlight.
What doesn’t: The plot is mostly a hunt for medication, Edward Norton is stuck in control rooms, and the ending fizzles out with no real showdown.
Who it’s for: Bourne completists and Jeremy Renner fans who want a well-shot chase movie and don’t need a big finish.
Spoilers
In Manila, Cross gets a treatment that frees him from the program’s meds for good, then he and Marta survive a long chase from a program assassin. They escape on a fishing boat, and Byer simply loses track of them, with no final confrontation.
Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) is an agent in Operation Outcome, a secret government program that keeps its operatives sharper and stronger with a steady supply of program meds. He's on a punishing solo training trek through the Alaskan wilderness when the fallout from Jason Bourne's adventures starts reaching the people at the top. Retired Air Force colonel Eric Byer (Edward Norton), who oversees the whole operation, decides the safest move is to shut Outcome down completely, agents included. Cross needs more meds, fast, which leads him to the scientist Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz). Tony Gilroy directs. One hundred thirty-five minutes, no Bourne, plenty of legacy.
Anyone who can climb an Alaskan mountain before breakfast. Bring a parka.
Dr. Albert Hirschphoto: Unknown (Mondadori Publishers), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Pamela Landyphoto: Jared Purdy at https://www.flickr.com/photos/jaredpurdy/, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
| Jeremy Renner | Aaron Cross |
| Rachel Weisz | Dr. Marta Shearing |
| Edward Norton | Col. Eric Byer |
| Stacy Keach | Adm. Mark Turso |
| Dennis Boutsikaris | Terrence Ward |
| Oscar Isaac | Outcome #3 |
| Joan Allen | Pamela Landy |
| Albert Finney | Dr. Albert Hirsch |
| David Strathairn | Lt. Gen. Noah Vosen |
| Scott Glenn | Adm. Ezra Kramer |
| Donna Murphy | Dita Mandy |
| Michael Chernus | Arthur Ingram |
| Corey Stoll | Zev Vendel |
| Željko Ivanek | Dr. Donald Foite |
| John Arcilla | Joseph |
| Shane Jacobson | Mackie |
| Elizabeth Marvel | Dr. Connie Dowd |
| John Douglas Thompson | Lt. Gen. Paulsen |
| Louis Ozawa Changchien | LARX #3 |
| David Wilson Barnes | a USAF Reaper drone operator assisting Operation Outcome |
| Neil Brooks Cunningham | Dr. Dan Hillcott |
| Corey Johnson | Ray Wills |
| Michael Berresse | Leonard |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 17 October 2026 DataBot +480 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $276.1M; Domestic box office $113.2M; Opening weekend $38.1M; Profit / loss (est.) -$49.4M; Rotten Tomatoes 56%; CinemaScore B; box office chart updated; Rotten Tomatoes critics 56% (235 reviews); Metacritic 61 / 100; CinemaScore B; IMDb users 6.6 / 10 (330,910 votes); movie.guru score 4.8.
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 17 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.