The Bourne Identity

Starring: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Julia Stiles, Chris Cooper, Brian Cox, Clive Owen
Directed by: Doug Liman
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action
Box Office: $121,661,683
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Amnesiac CIA agent Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) tries desperately to find out who he is, enlisting the help of a traveler (Franka Potente), while being hunted by his CIA superior (Chris Cooper). Adapted from the novel by Robert Ludlum.

Review:

Tim: The Bourne Identity is your average, somewhat intelligent action film. It features good performances by Matt Damon and the rest of the supporting cast, and keeps you entertained throughout the film. It will be fairly well-liked, simply because it keeps the action and twists constant enough to keep all viewers entertained. While it doesn't offer a whole lot of new material, it is an intelligent spy film.

Like most people, I did enjoy this movie. However, I also realize that The Bourne Identity shows us nothing new, and its features can be found in other action/suspense movies. While this detracts from the film to some degree, it doesn't stop the film from being entertaining upon multiple viewings.

This film was criticized by some for not following the original novel very closely. It was loosely adapted at best. One example is that in the original novel, Jason Bourne is in his late 40's or so. Here, obviously, Matt Damon is much younger than that. I personally don't care about the small details one way or another, and I don't think even with many of the novel's characteristics would make this film much better than it is. Damon does a terrific job as the spy hero and that is the most important thing to remember.

The best moments of the film are when we see the skill Jason Bourne has, even if he doesn't know how he can do what he can do. The scenes when he disappears in a moment or scales a building are pretty impressive. The restaurant scene where he discusses how he knows where to look for a gun and how he knows all the license plates of every car in the parking lot- you really see how amazingly observational those in the espionage businness need to be. They were the most entertaining parts of the film for me.

Ultimately, if you haven't seen this film, it wouldn't hurt to watch it, but I'm warning you, you won't see anything particularly new or exciting.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Bourne Supermacy, Minority Report, The Jackal, Patriot Games, The Saint