Slam-bang sheisse smart

Rating: Null/10 (5 August 2002)

I had wanted to see this one for a while due to some good reviews and of course the combination of Doug Liman directing Franka Potente in a spy movie. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to be all that impressed with Damon. However, he ends up doing a marvelous job of portraying a seemingly average Joe in a no-memory predicament (think Leonard Shelby) who seems to have the instincts of James Bond and Bruce Lee together (the embassy sequence is especially savvy.) The action sequences here feel realistic also, (with the possible exception of that final stunt), and the showdown between Clive Owen and Damon is very tight and unusually quiet for a Hollywood thriller. Actually, the setting, direction, editing, music, frequent use of subtitles, and the use of Franka Potente (brilliant pairing, but why do they go from making out to him sleeping on the floor?) as Damon's love interest make this whole thing feel very much like a European spy thriller. I felt like I was watching a Luc Besson film, but Besson hasn't done anything this good in years. The ending does a very good job of pulling together the loose ends, and I heard they had a hard time figuring out what to do. Kudos for making it work.
Our reel had some problems (It's been playing every night since June 14, so I forgive the projectionist!) and so a few plot points were missed. What was Alliance Securities, and how did they find it? How was Kane connected to the boat? How did Bourne know that pressing R on his phone would link him to the Hotel Regina? How did Wombosi or Bourne know to go to that morgue to search for the body, and whose body WAS in the bag, if not his? I might just go see it again, so it makes more sense.
So far, Hollywood this summer has provided some really inventive films. Insomnia, Star Wars Episode II, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Bourne Identity, Reign of Fire, Road to Perdition, Austin Powers 3, even Minority Report with its cliched ending provided some cool moments. Keep it up guys! It seems we're going through a bit of a rebirth!