Gallery: Bourne Tip Sheet Will Cure Your Spy-Flick Amnesia

  • 2002
    01

    2002

    There's something quintessentially American about Hollywood's take on Robert Ludlum's amnesiac Jason Bourne. Maybe it's that as Bourne, Matt Damon kickpunches through globe-trotting adventures so improvisationally — he's a grim practitioner of espionage jazz. But if you were to ask, "Now that there's a Damon-less *Bourne* movie coming out, what actually *happened* in those first three?" We'd say, "Um ... hey, look over there!" So, in preparation for *[The Bourne Legacy](http://www.thebournelegacy.net/)*, we decided to figure it out. __Above:__ The Bourne Identity, 2002 ------------------------- __How it starts:__ A bullet-riddled Bourne floats in the Mediterranean. __What Bourne remembers:__ Nothing. Well, OK: A few languages, advanced driving (and killing) skills. __The bad guy:__ Conklin (played by Chris Cooper), head of an assassin squad called Treadstone __The ally:__ Franka Potente's Marie Kreutz, who gives Bourne a lift __The locations:__ Langley, Marseille, Paris, Zurich __How it ends:__ CIA boss Ward Abbott (Brian Cox) has Conklin killed and Treadstone dismantled.
  • 2004
    02

    2004

    The Bourne Supremacy, 2004 -------------------------- __How it starts:__ A Russian spy (Karl Urban) tries to kill Bourne and gets Marie instead. __What Bourne remembers:__ A wee bit about his first assignment __The bad guys:__ Abbott and the Russian — naturally, in cahoots __The ally:__ CIA deputy director Pam Landy (Joan Allen) __The locations:__ Amsterdam, Berlin, Goa, Moscow, Munich, Naples, New York __How it ends:__ Exposed, Abbott kills himself. Bourne makes peace with the survivor of his first hit and kills the Russki agent. Landy reveals Bourne's real name: David Webb.
  • 2007
    03

    2007

    The Bourne Ultimatum, 2007 -------------------------- __How it starts:__ Wounded and on the run, Bourne meets a London journalist (Paddy Considine) who is sniffing at his trail. Things go bad. __What Bourne remembers:__ The procedures of Treadstone's Dr. Albert Hirsch (Albert Finney) __The bad guys:__ Hirsch and CIA deputy director Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), who's running a new program, Blackbriar __The allies:__ Landy and former Treadstoner — and former girlfriend — Nicky (Julia Stiles) __The locations:__ London, Madrid, Moscow, New York, Paris, Tangier __How it ends:__ With Bourne's limp body floating in New York's East River—until he swims away
  • 2012
    04

    2012

    The Bourne Legacy, 2012 ----------------------- __How it starts:__ Without Bourne. The hero is Jeremy Renner as assassin Aaron Cross. __The bad guy:__ Byer (Edward Norton), who runs black-ops program Operation Outcome. These guys never learn, huh? __The allies:__ Dr. Stephanie Snyder (Rachel Weisz), who helps train Outcome assassins; also, Landy __How it ends:__ Um ... hey, look over there! (The movie comes out Aug. 3.)
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