Compelling With a Flawed Plot

Rating: 7/10 (27 January 2019)

16 June 2002. Taking into account three or four weak points in this spy thriller, The Bourne Identity boasted a wonderful car chase scene that didn't necessarily go over the top, which included much more realistic images of passing cars, a Matt Damon that hit the ground (sometimes literally) running with his deft moves and struggling to find his identity. There's even a female who knows when to stay and when to run. I can't imagine, though, how another CIA assassin can expose himself so easily in the movie, unlike Enemy at the Gates, the cat and mouse game was too easy which takes place in an open field, how a meeting place could be so lax in CIA surveillance, and how one character (a supporting role) could ever be left a live at the end of the movie. But even so, the movie is compelling, always entertaining, and pretty easy to follow. Today's current events, however, cast a deep shadow over this movie now that CIA assassinations appear to have received the stamp of approval by the President, the U.S. government, and even the American public. I guess the collateral damage and corresponding retaliation is worth the risk.