If you’ve been hiding out in a non-celluloid cave for the past ten years, or have forgotten what the heck happened back there, a bit of background may be in order. The Bourne films are based on spy craft author Robert Ludlum’s hugely popular book trilogy from way back in the last millennium, telling the fictional story of Jason Bourne, a young U.S. spy who is plucked from the ocean and, oddly, has no recollection of his past life. Throughout the course of the trilogy, Bourne gradually comes to grips with who and what he is – a young American soldier named Eric Webb who has been reprogrammed by a secret CIA initiative to serve as an assassin with a new name and a clandestine mission, targeting political and economic leaders who stand in the way of U.S. interests around the world. Along the way, Bourne/Webb struggles with loyalty to country and his ethical compass, ultimately targeting the very CIA leaders who have made him what he is, rogue CIA elements who are continuing to run nasty secretive intelligence programs with sexy names like Blackbriar and Treadstone.

Now, I know what you are wanting to ask, and it is the right question. Beyond mindless action-oriented adventure, are Greengrass, Damon, and Hollywood running popular culture propaganda for the CIA, like so many other U.S. spy films have over the decades? We know that the CIA was founded after World War II to protect Wall Street interests around the world, and to “deal with” foreign governments and actors who threatened such interests. We know, too, that the CIA has actively interfered in the domestic events of other countries around the world – disinformation campaigns, propaganda wars, and yes, outright assassinations – close to 100 times since 1950 alone, always with the goal of protecting the interest of U.S. economic elites and the politicians who serve them. Lastly, we know that the CIA works hand-in-glove with Hollywood to produce TV, films, and other artistic works that legitimize a pro-American imperial bias – see “Homeland,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” or “Argo” to experience this first hand. The answer re: Jason Bourne? I don’t know, and in this instance, Bourne is a complex enough character and story that I am left wondering.

The fourth “Jason Bourne” installment finds JB semi-retired as an anonymous professional boxer kicking Euro ass in the mountains of Greece. When his old friend, fellow agent Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), contacts him with newly-acquired sensitive information about a new and secretive CIA plot fresh off a rogue information gathering counter-intelligence mission in Iceland (hint, hint, the giant-eared and ever-engaging Tommy Lee Jones, playing CIA director Robert Dewey is involved), Bourne puts down his gloves, and, in rapid succession, goes global from point A, then B, then C, in an effort to uncover the plot and learn even more about his elusive past, this time, his relationship with his father. Along the way, he meets a new CIA asset, programmer Heather Lee (the ever-reliable Alicia Vikander), is targeted and in turn targets an old enemy, assassin Asset (Victor Cassel), and, in an unlikely plot twist, ends up running protective point for a social media robber baron (Riz Ahmed), who plays the likable CEO of a Facebook-like corporation rethinking its cozy relationship with its federal benefactors. (Surveillance as a theme lurks at the heart of this Bourne film, as it does in all of them).

Is the film any good? I’d use the term “workmanlike.” Greengrass and Damon bring their A game to the table, and, if you are a fan of the previous Bourne films, you’ll like this one. You may also be left wondering, however, why they felt compelled to make a fourth (beyond the Almighty Petro-Dollar). And I did miss the romance – nary a stolen look to be found in this film, let alone a stolen kiss. Ah well – spy craft can be a lonely business.