THE BOURNE SERIES (2002-present)
Arguably now the yardstick by which modern action thrillers go by, The Bourne Identity kickstarted a new age of pulse pounding, stripped back espionage stylistics, and when Paul Greengrass took over for sequels Supremacy & Ultimatum, the series found its niche; Matt Damon saying few words while taking down insiders within American government black ops, all while jerky, in your face camerawork threw you deep into the murk. More may yet come, despite the lukewarm response to last year’s Jason Bourne. They’re essential, anyway. Except Legacy. Give that a swerve.