Originally posted by WojBhoy:[..]
Completely agree re. QoS, I think both the new Bond films are trying too hard to be like the Bourne films. Paul Greengrass did a fine job with Robert Ludlum's trilogy but as with everything that works out well, people try to copy the formula. Good films, but not that great. And Dark Knight was very impressive although I wasn't prepared for how dark it really was, i.e. everyone dying, lots of nasty shit doing the rounds...
Doug Liman is almost always forgotten when it comes to the Bourne films (it may not be a trilogy for much longer...). While Greengrass did an amazing job, Liman started the whole thing off with Identity. For better or worse, the camera style used in the latter two films has influenced the shooting style of action films since. It may be the most influential technique/gimmick for the next few years. You can't even watch a TV documentary without the camera moving about, zooming arbitrarily for no reason and all manner of stylistic bollocks. Greengrass used the style to reflect his lead character's state of mind. Most other directors - without a bloody clue, it seems - mimic the style without realising what they ought to be using it for - it has become a directorial tic that more often than not serves no purpose.
Anyway, love Bourne and Daniel Craig can say they didn't influence Bond all he likes. They did and he knows it. We all do...