Damon is decent as amnesiast assassin in this clever adaptation

Rating: Null/10 (11 September 2004)

SPOILERS
In 1997, when Oscar winning "Good Will Hunting" was released, nobody could have predicted just how well it's two writers and stars will have done in life afterwards. Whilst Ben Affleck would release an inconsistent catalogue of films, it was his friend Matt Damon who would become ever more popular as the amnesiast assassin, Jason Bourne.
Set almost throughout in France, "The Bourne Identity" tells the story of Jason Bourne. Being rescued from the sea surrounding Marseilles, Bourne awakes with two bullet wounds in his back, an electric chip quite literally in his shoulder, and a distinctive lack of memory. Traveling around the country looking for clues to his life, Bourne encounters beautiful gypsy Marie (Franka Potente), and the two grow closer as they attempt to escape from the police and assassins who are following them.
Based to some degree on the first book of Robert Ludlum's Bourne Trilogy, "The Bourne Identity" is a clever thriller featuring intense moments of passion, ingenuity and characterisation. Whilst far from perfect, the film moves at a suitable enough pace to never really get boring and to keep the audience entertained.
The ultimate beauty of "The Bourne Identity" is simply that it has some superb performances. As Bourne, Matt Damon is absolutely brilliant, giving the role a suitable amount of mystery and confusion whilst never saying very much. Bourne, like fellow assassin The Professor (the wonderful Clive Owen), never says much unless he feels it is necessary. As a result, we are given a leading character who shows a remarkable vary of emotions through little speech or facial shape.
Finally, the best thing about Bourne is that he refreshes the slowly dying spy movie category. Whilst recent James Bond films have been pathetic and excessively farcical, Bourne saves the genre by adding a sense of reluctance and realism to the notion of the spy. Preferring to avoid confrontation and seeking a quiet life, Bourne shows an intense dislike for the world of espionage. In contrast, Bond spends a considerable amount of time trying to sleep with female spies, mess with obscure gadgets (all location cars and pens which fire bullets anyone?) and killing as many henchmen as possible. This daft view on spying has slowly ruined an always popular genre, therefore it's satisfying for Bourne to breed new life into it.
In conclusion then, "The Bourne Identity" is a quality film. Whilst far from perfect, the film refreshing interest in espionage by treating us to some superb characterisation and some impressive stunts. With a decent plot as well, this film is a suitable introduction to Ludlum's books. Well worth a look.