Another action franchise is "bourne"

Rating: Null/10 (12 September 2002)

Even though the timing wound up being accidental due to delayed opening dates, friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck went head to head with action thrillers in the 2002 summer box office season (both based on famous novels and doing rather well.) This was Damon's entry and he came off better than expected. He plays an amnesiac who soon finds out that he has a past full of violence and intrigue. He's accompanied by Potente, a financially strapped girl who makes the mistake of getting involved, then can't break free of the drama surrounding him. (Hard to believe but true, these parts were essayed by Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith in a 1988 TV miniseries!) The film is stylish, nicely paced and, for the most part, more realistic and less showy than it's competitors (although a scene near the end involving a staircase shatters that whole idea and crosses the line.) Damon is comfortable and likable. He appears to be doing much of the fight choreography and does it well. He isn't always entirely believable as an amnesiac, but his natural charm goes a long way. Potente takes a while to warm up. She is more facially inexpressive than an American actress might have been, but eventually she comes along. Damon shows little sexual interest in her until she's free of make up and he gives her a short hair cut (making her look a little more like Affleck? hee hee!) Naturally, he uses the world's dullest scissors, yet she emerges with a Vidal Sassoonish, up to the minute, eurotrash style. Damon (looking awfully cute with dark hair and matching eyeliner) for some reason never has to adopt any sort of disguise while he's on the run! The casting in this film is bizarre. Cooper, though a solid actor, hasn't got nearly enough charisma to pull off his key role. Owen (who has STARRED in smaller, better films) is barely onscreen at all and not one word of his dialogue is intelligible! Stiles is ludicrously miscast and unnecessary. Aside from a very drab start, the film moves and has interesting locations, exciting set pieces and some nice production values. Recommended for people who haven't read the book and for people that have read the book, but don't mind some tweaking.