Finally! A movie that can stand without excessive special effects.

Rating: 10/10 (21 March 2011)

I enjoy the great special effects of movies such as the Star Wars series and other action packed movies such as the Die Hard and James Bond films, but the special effects are just as much a part of the plot and story lines as the writing. It is refreshing to watch a film that does not rely on excessive special effects to tell its story. The Bourne Identity (2002) is one such film. The Bourne Identity stars Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, a man found shot and lying in the ocean by fisherman who has lost his memory. He struggles to regain his strength on the ship and he tries to piece his life back together. He hits a dead end and finds that he must leave the boat. Bourne has a bank account number that leads him to a safety deposit box filled with money and fake passports. Bourne realizes that he must be a secret agent for some country. He hooks up with Marie, played by Franka Potente. As it turns out, Jason Bourne was a secret agent who was shot because he did not fulfill his mission, to Assassinate Wombasi, an African Leader, played by Adewale Akinnouye-Abaje. There were agents who planned to kill Bourne because he has now been considered a rogue agent. One familiar face, Julia Stiles, plays Nicolette, an agent in an operator type position. There was also the agent played by Clive Owen, the Professor, who was one of the agents sent to hunt Borne down and kill him. Packed with action and suspense this film is wonderfully shot. There were flash cuts in certain action packed parts of the film. Also, during the action there was minimal music playing in the background to add to the realistic feel to the film. I can say that I enjoyed watching a film that did not need to blast techno or other type of music to express the action of the film. The use of less sound made the film enjoyable. You can concentrate on the action on the screen and not worry about who made the song and other things that can be distracting when watching a film. These flash cuts and the use of less music added a dramatic feel to the film because Borne can be a real person, this can happen to any agent who defies the government and choose not to follow orders. They can be hunted down!