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I’ve known of the Jason Bourne trilogy for well over a decade. Yea, I know there was a fourth, without Matt Damon, and a fifth one with him in it. The entire trilogy, from the first edition, The Bourne Identity, to the final one must rank among the very best action films. It was a thrilling experience, it gripped your attention from start to finish, the plot didn’t wander, it was easy to follow, Damon was fantastic in his role, the support cast was terrific and the stunts were performed by actual stuntmen rather than computer productions. The Bourne Identity was as impressive as two which followed. Like a great novel, just didn’t want it to end.
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I don't have time to review this exhaustively, but want to be as thorough as I can. I'm also working under the assumption that you are interested in "The Bourne Supremacy" and "The Bourne Ultimatum" as well as this, the first movie in one of the best trilogies ever made. Opinions as to which movie is the best are well within the limits of personal taste; for me, this movie is the second best behind "The Bourne Ultimatum"; however, like the Beethoven symphonies, one of a great set has to be the least. TBI starts in the middle of the sea; the Mediterranean, we find out soon enough. An Italian fishing boat finds a body left for dead in the middle of the night. The ship's surgeon is skilled and equipped sufficiently to remove some bullets and, in the process, fish out a diode that blinks what appears to be a Swiss bank number. The man, an American (Matt Damon, of course) regains consciousness, realizing that for the time being, he is among friends. He is able to remember how to speak, dress, play chess, read, and other daily skills, but has no idea how he ended up in the Mediterranean, much less shot, wearing a wetsuit, or anything else; he cannot even remember his name. Eventually, the fishermen leave him ashore with a small stipend to get to the Swiss bank, where the man finally learns what his name must have been -- Jason Bourne -- but not much help with who he is, except that he has a ton of cash, a portfolio of fake passports, and a gun. Except for the gun, he takes the treasure on his journey to find out more about Jason Bourne, no longer able to find buddies like the fishermen -- the Swiss police and the American Embassy security are both interested in detaining him, if not worse. His last friend is Maria, who gives him a ride to Paris for $10,000 so he can put together clues from his last known address. Meanwhile, some American federal agency (CIA? FBI? NSA? the issue doesn't press front and center) is trying to fix something that went wrong with Bourne. By "fix", we get the idea that keeping Bourne alive is not a high priority with the feds. TBI was the only Bourne movie directed by Doug Liman, rather than Paul Greengrass. So we don't have the latter's hand-held camera sequences, and that's good and bad. The hand to hand combat scenes are a little less intense, but easier to watch. The car chase in Paris is top-notch. My favorite part about TBI, and the other Bourne movies (or this new species of action movies, in general), is the dichotomy between the policy wonks, surrounded by their computer geeks in monitor-loaded command centers capable of generating impossible intelligence (apparently every intersection in Europe is now covered by a remote camera, no matter how remote) and the rubber-hits-the-road robot assassins, each receiving his assignments by way of a video cell-phone that was probably a bit hipper in 2002 than I'm remembering. For me, TBI belongs to Conklin (Chris Cooper), Bourne's trainer and supervisor, and apparently the one with the most to lose now that Jason is making noise all over Europe. He reports to another fine spook, Abbott (Brian Cox), but Conklin just gets me with his short-sleeve dress shirts and ties that make him look like an aluminum-siding salesman. I got the idea Conklin never did grasp the depth of the hole he'd fallen into, especially when he told Abbott "We will burn for this," and Abbott has an expression on his face like Tonto thinking "Whaddya you mean we, Kimosabe?" Besides Abbott and CosRead full review
If there was a rating between Good and Excellent, that would be what I'd rate this. I bought this movie because I'd heard it was pretty good. I wasn't disappointed. I'm a child of the Cold War, and this reminds me of a well-done Cold War thriller. There wasn't an abundance of computer-generated graphics. If they were there, they were seamed into the real world very well. The driving and chase sequences were very realistic and the fighting was linear. Not that overblown professional wrestling type crap that is used all too often. The ending is a little weak, but that seems necessary tho leave room for the sequels. I don't mind as I'm looking forward to purchasing them also. Even 'spook' type guys said it was done well. The should know. While this isn't the 'Maltese Falcon' or 'Casablanca', I'll definitely be watching it again.Read full review
The Bourne Identity" is an action movie masterpiece. It begins though in the water, as our unnamed hero (Matt Damon) lies lifeless in the ocean. He is spotted by a fishing boat and brought aboard. The man looks nearly dead, as the crew doctor removes two bullets from his back, and also something that looks like a miniaturized laser pointer from his hip. Only instead of a little red light, it shoots out the address of a bank in Switzerland. The man, who remembers almost everything except for who he is, takes this as his only clue. The boat drops him off, and the doctor even gives him a little money to get to Switzerland. There he realizes that he is very skilled in the martial arts. When threatened by two Swiss cops, he makes short work of them with a few quick reflexes. The next day he walks into the Swiss bank and gets another surprise. The contents of his cash box are a gun, a stack of passports, and money in US and foreign currency. The most authentic passport there identifies him as Jason Bourne, a man who lives in Paris. The events in Switzerland prompt Bourne to want to know more, but before he can leave, the Swiss cops are all over him. And when he reaches the US embassy for help, even they try to arrest him. So, fleeing with no idea what is going on, Jason meets a woman named Marie (Franka Potente), who agrees to take him to Paris for $20,000. What Jason doesn't know is that this goes higher than just Swiss cops wanting to arrest him. Back in America, the CIA's Ted Conklin (Chris Cooper) is a man looking to clean up a past hush-hush mission that went awry, and it is obvious that Jason played an essential part in it. Conklin dispatches assassins, he gets Satellite photos of everything Jason and Marie do, he goes into Marie's past life to pinpoint locations where they might hide out, and it soon becomes apparent to Jason that whoever he comes in contact with is in serious jeopardy. This film was directed by Doug Liman, the guy who directed Swingers and also one of the best teen comedies ever made in the 90's, called Go. He is a more than qualified director, who with only a short body of work, already deserves to be named among the cream of the crop directors list. The Bourne Identity crackles and pops with elaborate suspense and thrills, showing us brilliantly shot gun battles, martial arts sequences, and one of the most exciting car chases, through the streets, sidewalks, steps, and oncoming traffic of Paris, ever shot. He does all of this while still keeping us in tuned with what is going on with Jason Bourne. The film revolves around the mystery of his past, and the script is lined with surprises, even though there is barely a story beneath the mystery. One of the best surprises though comes from the surprising performance by Matt Damon. Not only does he do the stunts to perfection, but he also has the tortured hero look that makes the character very compelling. The seriousness and intelligence he shows here makes him a great choice to play Bourne, playing him as a knowledgeable and skilled killer trying not only to stay alive and figure out who he is, but also to regain the humanity that the job made him lose. Franka Potente is a very strong partner for him, and Chris Cooper, who spends much of the film barking orders, proves to be an exceptional nemesis. All this, combined with great stunt work, makes The Bourne Identity into a solid thriller not to be missed.Read full review
The best-selling suspense novel by late author Robert Ludlum comes to the screen for a second time, following a 1988 made-for-TV movie. Matt Damon stars as Jason Bourne, a barely alive amnesiac with a pair of bullet wounds in his back, pulled from the Mediterranean by Italian fishermen. Bourne's only clue to his own identity is a bank account number etched on a capsule implanted in his body. He quickly finds the Zurich bank where money, a gun, and a few identification documents await, but after he's pursued by security goons at the American consulate, Bourne realizes he can trust no one and offers a German gypsy named Marie (Franka Potente) ten thousand dollars for a ride to Paris. Encountering more professional killers bent on his destruction, Bourne discovers that he possesses a surprising degree of skill in combat, martial arts, and linguistics -- handy talents that clearly indicate his past includes work as a spy and assassin, but for whom? With Marie's reluctant help, Bourne edges closer to the truth, something CIA officials want concealed at all costs. The Bourne Identity co-stars Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox, and Julia Stiles. ~ Karl Williams, RoviRead full review
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