Good Spy Thriller

Rating: 7/10 (14 January 2005)

The premise of the movie, which comes from the Ludlum novel upon which it is based, is that of a mysterious character suffering from amnesia, attempting to rediscover his past while other mysterious people are trying hard to kill him. All movies require a suspension of disbelief to work, and I found this one partially successful. The acting ranged from mediocre to excellent, with Chris Cooper delivering one of the strongest performances of all as the CIA agent desperately trying to put the genie back in the bottle. Matt Damon is OK as Jason Bourne, but I just don't think he has much dramatic range. At times he looks a little too much like the nice young man next door rather than the superbly trained assassin he is supposed to be. Brian Cox, Orso Guerrini, and Clive Owen do more with less in much smaller roles. Franka Potente is believable and interesting to watch as the accomplice/love interest. She is attractive but not so drop-dead gorgeous that it gets in the way. I enjoyed the car chase sequence in Paris, the European setting, and pace of the movie. It was MUCH more interesting and less formulaic than most spy movies I've seen.