Great, old fashioned spy film!

Rating: 9/10 (15 March 2004)

This is a slick, intelligent and enjoyably old fashioned spy flick. In modern times, good conspiracy/espionage thrillers have been few and far between. Some decent ones have included Spy Game, Enemy Of The States and Mission Impossible. While these were good and atmospheric there was something rather overblown and typically Hollywood about all of them, from very convoluted storylines, to over the top action scenes. The didn't seem grounded in reality. The Bourne Identity does however. It is far more believable as a piece of conspiracy entertainment.
The plot is fairly simple. It's a one-dimensional story in a good sense, in that it follows a clear pattern from start to finish without digressing too much into other storylines. The sub-plots don't tend to interfere with the main plot. The story involves Jason Bourne. He is found at sea, floating unconscious with two bullets in his back and a laser pen in his leg, that when shone upon a wall for example, shows the address of a bank in Switzerland and also an account number. When he is pulled out of the water by fisherman he is near death but is saved, however when he is recovered, a problem still remains. He has no memory of who he is. He does things instinctively that ordinary people wouldn't, like speak several languages, martial arts, and he wants to know why. So Bourne starts at the bank, the address of which was implanted in his thigh. The plot basically follows Bourne thusly on a quest to discover who he is and more importantly what he does for a living that requires him to be proficient in martial arts, weapons training, escape tactics and also requires about twenty different passports with different names (which confuses him no end). Along the way he employs Marie (Franke Potente) to drive him from Switzerland to Paris (after discovering he lives there). At the same time it turns out that they have been targeted by the CIA for termination, because Bourne as it turns out was a hired assassin who botched a very hush, hush job and so when he suddenly turns up alive (he was assumed dead) they want him out the picture for reasons of national security and to save their own bacon (the planned hit was not authorised from the top shall we say). The way the plot unfolds is excellent. We are always a step ahead of what Bourne knows and there are plenty of twists along the way and the film is excellently placed.
What I love about this film is that it evokes memories of spy flicks from the 60's films from the likes of Frankenheimer and great films like the Ipcress File that are far more grounded than escapist spy films like Bond. Director Doug Liman has done a great job here. The film is old fashioned spy thriller with a modern edge to it. The European, wintry locations create a great atmosphere. Particularly in France which really evokes the feeling of a Frankenheimer film. The action is good too, including a superbly staged escape from the Swiss Embassy, which has some lovely intelligent touches (he steals a radio from a guard to listen in on security to keep one step ahead of them while they chase him, and he tears a map of fire exits off the wall a studies it as he goes along). There is also a great car chase, reminiscent of the Italian Job (he's driving a Mini) and once again the lovely touch of having him study a map quickly before he decides to accelerate away from on coming police, there are great touches like this throughout that give us an indication of how a CIA hitman might be trained to think and act beyond an average citizen).
The cast are good. Matt Damon makes a good action man here, particularly as the part requires a level of relatability that you wouldn't get from an action star. His performance is good and as Bourne he is likeable and we are along for the ride as he aims to discover who he really is. Damon is cool here, the part gives him ample opportunity to kick ass and he does with gusto. Also starring is Franke Potente as his initially apprehensive right hand man (or woman should I say). I'm a fan of Potente, I love her accent and she has a great, particularly non-Hollywood, presence. She really caught my eye on Run Lola Run, a great film and she is good here. Also good are Chris Cooper and Brian Cox as CIA big-wigs who may have bitten off more than they can chew and could find themselves in hot water should Bourne suddenly turn up at head-quarters. Hence they go to great lengths to bump him off.
All in all a great old fashioned thriller. It's well paced, exciting, clever and leaves you wanting to see more. The may have given in to a Hollywood ending (the very last scene, the wind-down) but overall it's one of the thrillers out in years. ****