The Bourne Identity (2002)

34 out of 36 people found the following review helpful:

Damn Fine Thriller

imran from , 24th July, 2004

It was really good to see a good old fashioned quality Euro-thriller after watching so many boring US locations on film time after time. Paris provides a great backdrop to the excellent story and action, with Matt Damon doing a fine job in an action role firing guns and kicking ass in superb (albeit speeded up) fight scenes.
Along with a uniformly strong cast this all adds up to one of the better thrillers of recent years.

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22 out of 27 people found the following review helpful:

Retro thriller

gerald higgins from Nottingham, England, 11th August, 2004

Based on a 1980 novel by Robert Ludlum ? and a 1988 TV movie of the same name starring Richard Chamberlain ? ?The Bourne Identity? is an espionage thriller and is directed by Doug Liman who also made Swingers and Go.

The action begins as an Italian fishing vessel scoops a body out of the ocean. The ship?s doctor nurses the man ? who has two bullet holes in his back and a little laser gizmo embedded in his skin that projects a bank account number ? to health. Unfortunately, the man (Matt Damon) has no memory of who he is or how he got there.

He makes his way to Switzerland to check the bank account, where he finds a safe deposit box filled with guns, fake passports and money of different currencies. However, it soon becomes clear that Jason Bourne is a wanted man and a variety of heavies and hit men begin to pursue him across Europe. He is aided in his flight by Franka Potente, while CIA boss Chris Cooper marshals agents Clive Owen and Julia Stiles against him.

It?s skilfully directed by Liman throughout, the first third of the movie is tremendously suspenseful as we empathise with Damon?s confusion and disorientation. Moreover though, this is a fresh take on the spy thriller, Bond appears moribund by comparison. The emphasis is on character and atmosphere rather than special effects and gadgets. The cinematography captures perfectly the chill of an alpine winter and the attention to detail is obvious throughout. For example, when Damon and Potente flee Switzerland in her battered Mini Cooper, the interior car scenes show the windows misted up. Damon also only changes his clothes when he logically can, forcing him to parade for nearly half the film in his bullet riddled jersey.

It?s essentially a genre movie made by an independent director giving it an offbeat edge. Damon and Potente and not traditional middle class, materialistic, protagonists. Like the characters in Go and Swingers they are slightly marginalized, but also cool and hip. This is reinforced by the iconic nature of the mini cooper and the dance soundtrack.

But it also offers more traditional pleasures, such as a thrilling car chase against the traffic in Paris - an obvious nod to Ronin ? or Damon?s mastery of marshal arts. Just like Swingers and Go, this film has been largely overlooked by critics who cannot relate to the characters and general ambience of the movie. Yet, just like Doug Liman?s previous films, word of mouth is excellent and it is genuinely amongst the best films of the year.

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18 out of 27 people found the following review helpful:

An action movie with brains and acting

A Customer from Northern Ireland, 26th January, 2004

An excellent film of a type too rarely seen now. What stands out is the realism of the principle characters' reponse to the extraordinary situations. The work between Damon and Potente (mostly done without any background music) is very convincing. The machinations of the security apparatus they found themself in are convincingly sinister yet they are not omnipotent ... and there is a fine car chase.

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12 out of 17 people found the following review helpful:

Preposterous thriller that lacks edge

Northernsky from , 13th March, 2004

The Bourne Identity is a preposterous but mildly enjoyable thriller and that’s about all you can say about it really. You can pick holes in it’s logic and cringe at the formulaic happy ending, but you should enjoy the action sequences- one Matrix rip off fight is particularly good fun- and find the escalating tension quite…errr tense.

Matt Damon is not ideal for this role, far too clean cut and American pie for the role of an action hero, he lacks edge. Solid support comes from Brian Cox and Chris Cooper and Franka Potente is suitably bewildered as the innocent bystander dragged innocently into a situation she doesn’t understand.

Clive Owen plays an assassin and I couldn’t help thinking he’d have been more suited to the lead role which in turn would have lent the film an air of plausibility it mostly lacks. The cold blooded killing of one of the films leading characters gives the script a dark twist that seems horribly possible given the world these people inhabit. It’s a pity there wasn’t more of that type of plot development but once again you get the feeling the producers weren’t interested in making an adult film but yet another multi-plex blockbuster. Pity.

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Reimagined 80's action

darkernite from , 28th February, 2010

The Bourne Identity was a modern take on the action movies of the 80’s and early 90’s. Everything had been redefined for the modern audience that made so the whole film feels more plausible. The perfect example of this is the choice of leading man in Matt Damon, who instead of being the muscle bound, gun totting hero of year’s gone by is a complex, thoughtful and in some ways very normal hero. Bourne has a very clichéd plot in that a man has lost his memory and as very frightening skills come back to him, such as martial arts prowess he becomes more concerned with what the past he is searching for holds. However it is the 1980 novel of the same name which this film is based on that helped create that cliché. Bourne is excellent in points such as the ultra gritty action sequences and the complex and secretive government plot lines. It however misses something that would make it a truly remarkable film. This is not a great problem as it easily succeeds in being a very good film, and one I would recommend you view if given the chance.

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Bourne to be wild

Sezzle from , 13th February, 2010

I loved this the first time round in a cinema in New Zealand and I still love it on the umpteenth time of watching. Im on the edge of my seat as Damon works out his super human knowledge and skills and shrinks from the truth of what he might be. And the darker political edge added by his bosses really keep you guessing. The beautiful German actress is brilliant as his unwilling accomplice in her tatty mini, a star in its own right. Utimatum and supremacy have to be watched!!

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one of the best ever action films

skippyking from , 9th January, 2010

Im not usually very enthusiastic about action films, but this is just excellent. It puts all of the latest Bond films to shame with its perfect plot and it is impossible to loose interest in halfway through, I was on the edge of my seat all the time, in a good way. The story is really interesting and you feel like you're finding out about Bourne as he does himself. The acting is superb, everyone fills their roles perfectly and makes the characters completely believable. The soundtrack is great, I especially love the song at the end by Moby ('Extreme Ways') is excellently fitted and i was glad that it comes back in the next two films as well, which are both as wonderfully made and thrilling. This is the kind of film that makes you really want to read the book which it's based on. You really must see it!

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Wasn't sure what to expect...

Flikks from , 8th December, 2009

It was a bit of a stab in the dark getting this film but saw the opportunity to watch a series of them. The unfolding plot was great! There's a great sense of the unknown woven in to the storeyline and it makes compelling viewing. The characters are interesting and contrast with each other well. Lots of action and quite a bit of fighting but the 12 certificate reflects well the moderate language and sex. We are going to go on and watch the others in the series.

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