A Fun Couple O' Hours

Rating: 8/10 (14 October 2002)

Any of The Bourne Identity major reviews give away most of the plot, and that's OK because the story doesn't really keep anything up it's sleeve. Sure the screenplay could have contained twists and double-crosses galore, but that wasn't the story the film-makers were given to work with. Most good films can be capsulized in a 'four word review'. The Bourne Identity's could be, "Amnesia, Spy, Danger, Love". Matt Damon is very convincing as the main character who's name may or may not be Jason Bourne) who awakens on a fishing boat with two bullets in his back, and no memeory whatsover of who he is or how he got there, and alas, no I.D. What the movie does extremely well is show how Jason's amnesia has not affected his physical and mental capabilities, just the memory pertaining to his personal life, which must be in a different part of the brain. Jason spends the rest of the movie, running around Europe, trying to find out who he is, while defending himself from known and unknown forces, along with protecting a girl, Marie , played well by Franka Potente of "Run, Lola, Run" fame, who's in the game, first for money and then eventually love.
The film has plenty of edge-of-your-seat action, including a great car chase, and plenty of fight scenes, with just the right touch of humor, romance and mystery. On a final note I thought the film-makers did an excellent job of recreating the look and feel of the Eurpopean cold-war thrillers of the late 60's and early 70's, specifically through the mix of cinematography and musical score. I rate The Bourne Identity 8 of 10.