Matt Damon's European tour

Rating: 7/10 (21 March 2006)

There's a nice idea at the heart of 'The Bourne Identity'; Matt Damon's amnesiac discovers a clue as to his identity, only to discover he has not one but many - he's apparently an undercover agent - so which one is the real him? Unfortunately, the film is not very interested in the true psychology of amnesia; Bourne is far too composed to be convincing for someone who has forgotten everything, and bizarrely, he is able to judge what he learns about himself as aberrant and strange (i.e. he remembers what he was not, and is thus able to compare what he discovers about himself (but has not remembered) to this, which makes little sense). The film has some other annoying features: the C.I.A. is represented as pure evil but also as near-omnipotent; the film is full of exaggerated fight and chase scenes that are less gripping than more realistic ones would be (for however action-packed, you can't help but feel you are watching a cartoon); and Julia Stiles keeps popping up for no reason whatsoever, as if the producers wanted her in the movie even though there is no role for her to play. But on the plus side, the production values are high, a selection of European locations make effective backdrops, the tension is maintained throughout and Franka Potente makes a sexy leading female. And some sequences, like the opening dissection of a wetsuit, are immaculately assembled. Ultimately, this is popcorn cinema, shallow and lightweight; but nicely done all the same.