A New and Engrossing Hero is Bourne

Rating: 8/10 (6 August 2008)

Jason Bourne is not James Bond. The name bears a remarkable similarity, as does the world the super-agent inhabits, but the parallels end there. Bond investigates and spies for his government; he possesses alluring charm, perfect confidence, detailed knowledge of his enemies, premeditated plans, and an ability to murder anybody without warning. James Bond seeks violence; violence seeks Bourne. Bourne has no desire to take others' lives, but wherever he hides, the bloodshed finds him. When it does, he has no choice but to use his lethal skills. "I don't even know who I'm running from," he laments. He must devise his next moves quickly. He is not charismatic and he has no swagger. The two JB's are completely different, but the brains and brawn behind "The Bourne Identity" prove both styles can succeed.
A fishing vessel off the coast of France rescues Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), unconscious and floating face up. He has been shot twice and has a laser pointer imbedded in his hip. When he awakes, his biographical memory is gone. The pointer provides the only clue to his identity--an account number to a bank deposit box in Zurich. He uses extremely advanced martial arts to escape intense situations, and what amazing skills they are. He strikes with a superhuman combination of strength, precision and awareness. He seems to have eyes in the back of his head. His environmental perception reaches extraordinary levels, but he cannot understand why, nor the reason somebody tries to kill him in Paris.
A mysterious branch of the CIA does know. Its leader, Alexander Conklin (Chris Cooper), fears the implications of Bourne being alive and causing commotion. From his basement war-room, he directs a team assigned to track Bourne and put him "in a body bag." After Marie (Franka Potente) drives Jason to Paris, Conklin adds her to the hit list for his specialized assassins (Clive Owen, Nicky Naude).
Few action movies work well without a powerful villain. Physically, Chris Cooper is the perfect choice for Conklin. His perfectly slicked hair, bass voice, and face, which looks like the façade to a vault of experience, make the perfect image of a forceful leader. Cooper communicates a lot of information with his mannerisms, mostly while issuing orders with fire in his speech.
The great part is that we don't just see him give the orders. We hear them explained, we hear responses from team members, we see the field agents receive their messages and prepare for action. Liman keeps us in the room when he hear his underlings report what they have discovered and how. We see him update his superior (Brian Cox) and discuss with him the next course of action. These scenes add a special flavor to the film.
The action appears at an unusual pace, mostly during the first hour. The best are the fistfight in Paris and a car chase that soon follows. Liman follows the top rule for filming action. Do not try to manufacture tension with rapid fire cuts or fancy camera work; let the quality of the production speak for itself. Just find a quality angle to let it speak. It is sad that Paul Greengrass broke it for the two sequels. Only Alex Proyas has permission to that.
What is on screen is indeed high quality. It also reveals another difference between Bond and Bourne. Evasion is always his first option. While being chased inside a building, Bourne throws away the gun he takes, the third time in the movie he does that. Even in the climax, he only kills the guards because he has no choice but fighting them. Acting wise, Damon plays Bourne straightforward, nothing fancy here. Damon is understated, the correct approach for a character of that personality, yet he remembers that even a hunted man can smile.
Potente is an attractive woman, but that is not the point here. Marie's function is companionship and transportation for Bourne. She is more than a sex partner. In fact, Bourne chooses to sleep on the floor when they share a room. Potente also remains toned down. Brian Cox and Gabriel Mann (playing Conklin's top assistant) both bring what their roles need. Cox has his best moment when he tells Conklin "You never made a mistake before!" Most impressive among the supporting cast is Clive Owen, who speaks volumes with his silence.
"From Russia with Love" is probably the only Bond movie structured like "The Bourne Identity." Both are heavily plot and subterfuge focused. The payoff is far better in the former, but "Bourne" excels more in its slow areas. By keeping a close eye on the details, Liman assures that no moment is boring. There are no Bond-like gadgets since Bourne has no Q to make them. He uses standard equipment in innovative ways. That is only one of the reasons why "The Bourne Identity" wins in all categories.