People like to watch people kill people

Rating: 3/10 (18 December 2008)

Or at least, that's what I took away from this movie.
It has all the elements of the "spy" "thriller" "action" movie: the guy who can't remember his past, The Girlfriend, the inexplicable relationship between them, the rest of the cast almost exclusively white males, The Car Chase, The Heist, the use of gadgetry, the oh-so-cynical political manipulations, the relative lack of dialogue, and killing after killing after killing.
We've seen it all before. All of it.
Except...*how* people are killed. This picture is particularly inventive in its use of violence. I can't account for this picture's popularity aside from this one difference.
Most of the time, Matt Damon looks like he's playing a Jedi -- he goes through his "action" sequences without even seeming to breathe. He practically looks bored. Perhaps he feels the Force. I never thought I'd say this, but Tom Cruise actually looks like a talented actor in comparison. His "Mission Impossible" was much the same flick as "Bourne" but had far greater intensity and emotional involvement.
Which brings us back to the creative use of violence. I found it ineffective, ultimately, as it seemed to wrench the viewer out of what little realism is going on. Perhaps real-world assassins are just that cool (how much black leather can you fit in one movie?) -- going out to "do the job" and never feeling emotional or psychological consequences. Never using all their creative skills to *avoid* violence rather than revert to it as a first step.
Didn't much care for this picture. Don't need to see it again.