Gritty international thriller is a winner

Rating: 8/10 (15 February 2006)

Matt Damon stars in a good but predictable thriller as a CIA operative who tries to piece together his past, make sense of the present and decide what to do next. Damon falls out of favor with higher-ups at the agency for not taking out an African political figure and now they deem the agent as soft and expendable. The film opens with Damon being pulled out of the Mediterranean by fishermen who nurse him back to health. His travels take him to Zurich where he finds money, passports, weapons and a German girl who becomes his reluctant partner as the local police close in on him. The film is a travelogue as the pursuit and action scenes move through the Swiss Alps to Paris where the CGI and stunts become the focal point of the film. Franka Potente is the young woman who gets Damon out of a tight spot and the two begin their dangerous journey together. The stars have a few moments of quality alone time but spend most of the time trying to stay out of harm's way.