Bourne for action

The Bourne Legacy (PG-13 for language and violence), fourth installment in the popular Bourne espionage series, introduces audiences to a new super agent: Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), an all-American outdoorsman who leaps cliffs, wrestles wolves, and is a mean motorcycle rider.

Renner plays the super-spy role with wry wit and a quick smile, making Cross a more relatable and believable character than Matt Damon's dementia-stricken assassin. Genetic doping has given Cross unusual strength and mental prowess: He saves the life of myopic virologist Dr. Marta Sheering (Rachel Weisz), then challenges her thinking, and convinces her to embark on an international quest for freedom.

Well-paced action, flying bullets, and speeding motorcycles leave a little room for flashes of tenderness between the two protagonists, which hint at the possibility of future romance while leaving the on-screen interaction surprisingly pure.