The Bourne Identity

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Not that there is any bias intended against the spy film genre, far from it. Nor with films that contain a good deal, or a lot, of action. There are some good, very good even, ones out there. There are also however ones that are too derivative, are basically style over substance (a few not even executing the style particularly well) and favour can-see-it-coming "thrills" and "twists" and bombastic action over telling a good story. What a pleasant surprise that 'The Bourne Identity' turned out to be. Had heard next to nothing but good things about the Bourne films and had been meaning to check them out for a while, while worrying as to whether they'd be my cup of tea or not. 'The Bourne Identity' not only does what it set out to do very well, with lots of fun and intrigue, but it is also a film that has a brain and respects its audience. It clearly knew what it wanted to be and who to aim it at. Sure, the basic story is not exactly original, occasionally there is a little routine-ness. This doesn't really matter all that much though, because 'The Bourne Identity' succeeded in giving the genre a considerable freshness on the whole. It does lose its way a little towards the end, when things do become a little too cliché and some things could have been explained better and felt less confused. While still doing a good job, Clive Owen did deserve more to do than what he got, a come and go character that disappears too quickly and early. However, visually 'The Bourne Identity' is very slick and stylish, special effects very wisely kept at minimum. Am not always a fan of the camera technique used here but here it added to the intensity and didn't feel that excessive or abused, certainly didn't look amateurish either. A reasonably dynamic soundtrack and authentic sound quality helps too, as does astute direction that keeps everything moving along with confidence. 'The Bourne Identity' contains a sharp and well written script that provokes thought, with nothing being confused, rambling or cheesy. The story for much of the length is exciting and has a considerable freshness that is really refreshing. The pacing is relentless, while avoiding the traps of being too hectic or being dull, neither of which it ever is. The action is very well choreographed, confidently performed and keeps one on the edge of their seat. Matt Damon carries the title role with ease, and Franka Potente provides gutsy support, their chemistry to me was believable. Chris Cooper is fun, and while a little too briefly utilised Clive Owen and Brian Cox both do very good jobs. In summary, surprisingly good and entertaining and a very good start to the Bourne films. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Jason Bourne based on the symptoms presenting, is having a conflict unconsciously… He's instructed to go and kill somebody… In the movie, he is given the diagnosis of selective dissociative amnesia…What they did is, they had him forget who he was but they allowed him to continue to remember all the training and the things that he learned over time Damon's character, Jason, has been trained in self-defense, weapons handling, high-speed driving, disguise, and secret writing communications… He knows that he's very attentive, and very observant…I really enjoyed the scene in the diner when Jason is telling Marie he doesn't know who he is but he knows that he can name the license plates of all six cars outside, and the clothing that people were wearing Marie's character is very helpful to Bourne's character… Based on his unconscious clash of feelings and what he was doing, and being a killer he would've made strenuous efforts to create a new identity if he didn't have a penchant for love…And it was his development and his journey into finding the power to feel that was a big part of this movie Jason and Marie's love is a not a classic love…It's definitely a relation of two people who walk next to each other, interact and cross only several times but not all the time…Jason is definitely taken by her, by her forcefulness and her vigor as she's very much alive where he isn't, where he feels lacking any strong emotion… At that point he was still struggling to try to get his memory back When you see the sequel or the two parts together, it makes sense because evidently Jason is still haunted… He still has nightmares from things he'd endured… While on the contrary, Marie probably is more the active force trying to set up a home for them…He's definitely the one who still feels on the run because he still is under constant restraint

This is a solid suspense-spy film with an agent-on-the-run scenario. People who like a paranoid theme, where everyone is after you (I plead guilty) will love this. THE GOOD - The amount of violence in here was just about right, not too much and not too little. I also enjoyed the Paris scenery, both the street-level shots and the aerial photography. Ovrall, the cinematography is very good in this film. It's an involving story that once you're hooked, you stay that way. The two hours go by pretty quickly. The cast is interesting. I was familiar with Franke Potente after seeing her in "Run Lola Run." Potente has a different, and intriguing look to her. The action scenes in here are very good, including an excellent car chase. THE BAD - I get tired of American filmmakers trashing their own government all the time, in here its them trying to kill one of their own agents. Also, there are too many usages of the Lord's name in vain, mainly said by Chris Cooper's character. It also took a bit to accept Matt Damon as some physically-rough spy since his image was not that prior to this film. OVERALL - A good movie that is part of my collection. I liked the sequel even better, although part of the reason was that I was now familiar with the main characters after watching this film. Anyway, I highly recommend both movies for fans of suspense, crime, intrigue, good locales, etc.

I figured this was a can't miss movie. Doug Liman is a great director and it seemed like the cast was pretty strong. However, what a standard, paint by the numbers, average at best, spy thriller. Do we really have to wait two hours for the happy ending that we all know is coming in the end? The scenes of Europe were nice, but hardly enough. Added to the problems of this movie is the fact that Matt Damon is just not that strong of actor, he seems to be void of any real charisma. The guy is plastic and unless you are a 14 year old girl, not worthy of your time. In this movie we get to see him kind of interact with a romantic interest, however it is tacked on and less than steamy. Talk about going through the motions. The bad guys have no redeeming qualities, the good guy is a saint, yata yata. What shocked me was why this movie was getting such high marks, it was "Ronin" without the action. Once again, mediocrity is praised as good and good is praised as great. Well, this movie was not great or even that good. Sadly lacking.

I can sympathize with reviewers who had read the book and were disappointed by this film and the liberties it apparently took with the story. I've had that happen with books I've enjoyed and it can spoil a film you might otherwise have liked. I never read the book, so I was able to appreciate this film on its own merits - slick, tough, fast-paced and refreshingly devoid of the kind of nonsense that has made the Bond films harder and harder to sit through. I'm especially impressed by the fights, which, as other reviewers have pointed out, are among the most believable martial-arts-based fight scenes ever seen. No big grand gestures or Olympian kicks - just fast, nasty moves designed to inflict maximum damage with minimum effort. The cast is uniformly good - even Damon, who is no fave of mine, comes across believably as a man who's trained to hold it all in, but isn't sure what it all is that he's holding in. Cooper, Cox and Owen shine in their all-too-brief screen time. Potente is attractive in a real person sort of way (sigh of relief for this genre) and possesses an inner strength that makes her character's actions and reactions ring truer than what we'd get from the traditional Hollywood eye-candy girlfriend these films normally feature. From the gritty bowels of the trawler, where Damon awakens to his situation, to the field where he confronts his most deadly assailant, the locations are the antithesis of the travel poster hotspots that Bond so frequently visits. Despite its breakneck pace (handled so well by Liman and so poorly in the sequel by his protégé), the film manages to convey a sense of melancholy that lifts it a bit above the average action thriller. Sorry book fans - it may not be your cup of Ludlum, but it's still a damn fine little action flick.

Maybe its me, but it gives me a familiar feeling when I see a guy in a turtleneck sweater, an overcoat and a rifle. I know its a cliche, but why would this movie re-invent the medium anyway? I also like car chases through foreign cities, passports and accents. So with all that intact, I liked 'The Bourne Identity' very much. It has all the elements of the genre. You know what you're getting and you get what you want. There is no point in going over the plot. It gets confusing about 3/4 in but it does not matter that much. Its fun for two hours and that's it. I have been a huge fan of Franka Potente since becoming mildly obsessed with 'Run Lola Run' and she does not disappoint. She has some real chemistry with Matt Damon and has a very sweet, inviting way about her. She is not traditional leading actress material, thank God, and I credit the producers for hiring her. Even more so when you realize that Julia Stiles has a small part in this movie. I am sure someone wanted a bigger 'name' to be Matt's female lead and it might have occured to more than one exec to switch Franka and Julia, but obviously I am glad that did not happen. Clive Owen adds another strong performance to his resume. He has only one big scene, really, but makes the most of it. Chris Cooper and Brian Cox are known for their sturdy work and they also deliver here. Excellent, summertime entertainment. 8/10.