The Painted Veil (2006)

Drama, brilliantly directed by John Curran, based on the 1925 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. 

Bacteriologist Walter Fane (Edward Norton) meets Kitty Garstin (Naomi Watts) in London and they quickly marry. Then Walter accepts a post in China, helping a village amid a cholera outbreak, forcing Kitty to go with him to punish her for her infidelity. 

It’s beautifully shot and extremely poignant. There’s a historical/political thread, but the main focus is on the couple’s complicated relationship and the way it evolves.

The script is subtle and nuanced. Likewise, the graceful and restrained-but-powerful performances.

The Bourne Legacy (2012)

Intriguing attempt to try something a little different with the Bourne series while still taking it forwards. Matt Damon isn’t in this fourth film, but the narrative is built around his actions in the first three. It’s cleverly woven into the earlier plots while essentially just recycling them. This time Jeremy Renner is the agent on the run, assisted by Rachel Weisz – one of the doctors who had been “programming” him. There’s plenty of action (the chase scene in Manila goes on for an improbably long time), but there’s also a more “human” dimension in the form of the developing Renner/Weisz relationship. 

They could have had more fun with the title: how about Bourne to Run, I Wasn’t Bourne Yesterday or Bourne to Be Wild?