A shell of the book

Rating: 6/10 (3 March 2003)

In some cases, the film is better than the book, but this isn't one of them. This isn't a bad film, it's just that the book is much better, mainly due to details. The film lacks many of the small details that Ludlum so carefully adds to his writing. What this film has is an excellent cast, Matt Damon, Chris Cooper, Brian Cox and US-unknown Franka Potente. These folks all do a creditable job in this film and the basic story is a strong one, but it just lacks so many details that Jason's story is never told in any depth...of course, in a way, that's the premise of the film. Still, the film is only a shell of the book. Ludlum writes a lot of detail into his books and that's what makes them so interesting. I might watch this film again, but I won't hurry to do so.