Intelligent, thriller . . . really

Rating: 8/10 (22 January 2003)

I don't take in action movies very often as action usual takes precedence over script, and acting. The Bourne Identity was a pleasant change. Damon was superb. You could see him scanning the area, anticipating the inevitable attack, but he never acted totally out of the air. No shots fired over the shoulder while making love a la James Bond. With only one exception the stunts and the action seemed plausible. (The latter occurs near the end of the movie and is so obviously a do not try this at home move that it jars, surely there was a better way to get down the stairs.)
This is not to say that this is an intellectual or art film, far from it, but it is marked with excellent acting, and a script that does not insult the intelligence of the viewer. A good night with the DVD (and the alternative ending which demonstrates how in touch the director was, the alternate just doesn't play like Bourne) How can you go wrong with Paris as the major backdrop?