...the Bourne trailer

A legacy like no other

By Gerry Plaza

Now, everyone is looking forward to "The Bourne Legacy," thanks to that two-minute trailer that has spread like wildfire on social networks and video sharing sites on Friday, June 1. The movie will open in the U.S. on August 3.

It was enough that we saw those jaw-dropping Hollywood-standard stunts, but to see it on the streets of Manila is something else.

When the cast and crew of the latest installment of the billion-dollar "Bourne" movie franchise came to Manila late last year to start filming and chose such locations as Leveriza, Ermita, Taft Rotonda and the very busy EDSA, I wondered how they would have executed it. Now that we've seen it, I am frankly amazed.

Thrilling action sequences

The motorcycle and car chase on Manila's busy thoroughfares recalls that memorable scene in "The Matrix Reloaded," except for the extra fun of seeing those familiar taxicabs and jeepneys being blasted, spun and obliterated.

Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz look as spectacular as the gritty and intense action sequences, caught in those claustrophobic eskinitas and chased by no less than Manila's finest.

It was exhilarating to see the duo on a motorcycle zagging perpendicularly through Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard in Sta. Mesa during rush hour.  The effect was thrilling and breathless, especially for those like me who traverses these roads on a daily basis.

Push PH as a filmmaking destination

Given the popularity of the Bourne franchise, the new installment is sure to shine the light on the Philippines—certainly for its tourist spots, but also for the rawness and decay of its urban landscape.  And showing international filmmakers both faces of the country may open their eyes to the potential of making their future movies here.

We should make the most out of this fantastic exposure. Government and private businesses should take advantage of all that free publicity from the "The Bourne Legacy" to push the Philippines as a filmmaking destination.

It won't just generate revenue and create jobs, it will also be a priceless learning experience for our actors and film workers.