The Jason Bourne film were such fine and intelligent action thrillers that, ordinarily, I would be turned off at the idea of the studio continuing the series now that the original Robert Ludlum story had run its course. But I’m looking forward to The Bourne Legacy.

Tony GIlroy is the reason. Gilroy, an excellent writer, made his directorial debut with Michael Clayton, which he also wrote. He studied 1970s thrillers in order to make it. That movie married the twists and turns you expect of a thriller with the moral complexity, ambiguity and delicious cynicism that films of the era were known for.

That, aside from the fact that he wrote the three earlier Bourne movies, qualifies him in my mind to continue the Bourne legacy. The Bourne movies were all big on action, but the heart and soul of them all were grounded in the same qualifies that made Michael Clayton – and 1970s movies such as Three Days of the Condor – so moving and unforgettable.

Try as I might, I couldn’t make it to Tuesday’s screening of The Bourne Legacy, so I’ll have to see it after it opens on Friday. I look forward to it being a worthy successor to the earlier Bourne films.

In this video, Gilroy talks about the genesis of the movie and why Jeremy Renner was chosen to star in it.