The Bourne Identity (2002)

That was an excellent one.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

I reckon I've seen this film a while ago and wasn't really all that impressed with it so I basically let the rest of the franchise slip through my fingers. Then again that is probably a good thing since there are so many franchises, and so many films, these days that keeping up with all of them is a chore in and of itself. Still, a part of me wanted to give it another shot, even though I'm not a big fan of spy thrillers, and in a way I am really glad that I did. I guess the last time I watched it I was a somewhat tired and wasn't able to get into it. In fact, I'm sure this film is also based on an older film that I also loved (or even a book, though I haven't read the book and am unlikely to do so). Anyway, I suspect the plot of this film is quite well known. A man is fished out of the ocean (though how he managed to survive is beyond me - he should have been well and truly dead, especially if he is floating face down) and basically can't remember a thing. However there is something implanted in him which reveals a Swiss bank account number. To cut a long story short, it turns out that he is a skilled assassin, and is being hunted down by the CIA for some reason or another, though it turns out that he failed a mission and needs to be, well, killed. Not surprisingly he also picks up a female partner to travel with him on his adventures (ah, don't you just love Hollywood cliches). Well, yeah, it is a spy thriller, and it really did end up keeping me drawn in right through to the end. Okay, it turns out that you pretty much know a lot more than what he does, which does drag the film down somewhat. In a way it is a shame in that regards because it would have been so much better if they had kept the whole CIA business hidden away behind the scenes so that everything was being revealed to us as it was being revealed to him. In a way it did subtract from a lot of suspense. Not surprisingly though he does get his memories back eventually, though it is rather dubious as to how they actually came about - there really wasn't any trigger for that to happen, and once again it might have been better for it not to have actually happened. I'm not really all that sure if there is much more that I can say about this film though. It is sort of a straight out action thriller, and I suspect that the various sequels are going to be pretty much the same. Still, it was a pretty cool idea, though as I have mentioned it is hardly original (since I believe that it is based on a book). Of course, the period in which this film is set suggests that there was probably been some significant diversion from the original, since the good old evil empire that was the Soviet Union no longer exists, but then again this is also very much about a government agency that has gone completely out of control, though apparently it was quite like that at the height of the Cold War, with CIA operatives basically living it up in Europe. Not surprisingly this does translate over to similar films, particularly since most of the action takes place in Paris (though a part also takes place in Switzerland). So yeah, this was a pretty cool film, and I'll probably go and watch the sequels some time soon.

3 step review.1.U liked other Bourne movies? U WILL like this Bourne debut. This is a no brainer. Best bourne EVER!2. The story: Rogue intelligence assasin is on the run. Will he live? Will he die? 90 min action chase.3. Doug Liman. Tony Gilroy. Remember those names? Doug Liman is in my opinion the ultimate best director of ALL the bourne movies. I love the other Bourne versions as well, but Doug Liman made the mold. He created the original. The core. And he did so with masters skills I havent seen the equivalent of yet. Doug Liman not only directed, he also produced this debut. That means he had almost total controll over HOW he wanted to shape it. And that can be noticed in the attention to detail. Everything from editing, to photography, to soundtrack is ONE. It is a perfectly mixed blend of just the right ingredients to make Bourne one of the biggest action heroes in modern cinema. It is a rush. An adrenaline kick. And Doug Liman is to be thanked for that.Tony Gilroy is the screenplay writer of this classic action packed thriller, although it is based on a novel by Robert Ludlum. And however underestimated writers can become in action movies I herald the power of Tony Gilroy's words in Bourne's debut. Most of all I like the friction between the characters. Everyone is under pressure, under intense pressure. Not only Matt Damon but everybody connected to this assasin on the run story is likely to get wasted in a storm of bullets. Supporting roles are excellent, at a level unheard of in most blockbusters. That is typical of all the Bourne movies in which acting is paramount! The story and the words that make these characters believable are what Tony Gilroy is to be thanked for. And when I can believe in the characters on the screen, then I know I can enjoy a movie time and again. You are about to see the very best in modern action movie history: the Bourne debut. I must have seen it dozens of times and I still cant get enough of it.

A classic, fast-paced, mystery action thriller. This one is actually better than the latest Jason Bourne movie. I think they should stop with this film series, there's only so much you can do with it. The Bourne Identity is a Hollywood film that isn't made in Hollywood, it's good to see different scenery for a change, it has some nice views of Paris France, and the overall flick is a non-stop action cat and mouse thriller.

This espionage movie is the first in the series of Jason Bourne films based on the popular coterie of books of the same name. They succeed where the current James Bond films fail. While Daniel Craig's sociopath Bond wallows in self loathing and psychopathy, the emotional sub plot in the Jason Bourne films are direct, focused and sensible.It makes sense for a man that has lost his memory to desperately try and figure out who he is, even without highly trained assassins dogging his every move. Throughout the series, he attempts to make amends for his nefarious espionage past and in doing so, blazes a path toward redemption. Having read two of the originals books this series is based upon, I can say that the Jason Bourne character is actually better fleshed out in the films and no doubt intellectual actor Matt Damon had a lot to do with that. This is an excellent action espionage series of films.