Review of "The Bourne Identity"

Rating: 9/10 (14 August 2011)

"The Bourne Identity" is a 2002 film directed by Doug Limon and starring Matt Damon. The film follows the story of Jason Bourne (Damon), an amnesiac desperately attempting to discover more about his true identity while simultaneously embedding himself in a convoluted conspiracy involving the CIA. Now, when I had first heard "The Bourne Identity"'s fairly original and intriguing premise, I was already expecting this movie to be great. Did it disappoint? No. No, it did not. This is one of those movie's that just cannot fail - it has a rock solid story crafted by one of the most intelligent authors of our time, a brilliant screenplay written by one of Hollywood's most sought after screenwriters, and an intensely entertaining lead performance. "The Bourne Identity" and it's sequels are often credited with setting the par for most spy thrillers of the past decade - Does it deserve that credit? I believe so, for I have seen a multitude of films with similar concepts that have come out since "The Bourne Identity"'s release. However, most, if not all, of the movies that have tried to replicate what The "Bourne" movie's have done, cannot reach the level of intrigue that each of the "Bourne" movies have reached - and they promptly fall flat in comparison. That being said, everything about this film, beit it's fighting sequences, it's car chase, or it's intense cinematography has made an impact on the spy thriller genre, and the modern film industry, as a whole. All in all, I felt that "The Bourne Identity" was an intensely entertaining thriller with a large amount of intelligence clearly woven it.