Delivers like only cinema can.

Rating: 10/10 (29 July 2007)

There are those who say that the book is always better than the movie. These people have clearly never seen "The Bourne Identity", which is based on the book of the same name about a CIA agent who washes up in the Mediterranean Sea with two bullet holes in his back and no memory of who he is.
What strikes one first about the film is the action.
Two scenes stand out.
First, there is a scene in Switzerland, where our hero, Jason Bourne (played with honest intensity by Matt Damon), climbs sideways across a snow-covered wall of the US Embassy. The stunt is amazing yet believable, and is an experience that can only be found in a movie. Sorry authors, but no collection of words, how ever elegant or intelligently constructed, can possibly convey the same tension and white knuckled excitement that this scene has.
Secondly, there is a now famous car chase through Paris, which is, frankly, awesome beyond words.
Aside from the action, the film excels with smart and breathlessly smooth plot development, which should be studied in film and script writing classes.
Lastly, perhaps the film's strongest element next to it's action scenes is the acting. Chris Cooper is electrifying as always here, playing a sinister CIA desk stooge, who orchestrates the hunt for Bourne while answering to a gruff Brian Cox.
And special attention should be paid to Franke Potente as Marie, a nomadic German girl who gets recruited by Bourne to drive him to Paris. The world was first exposed to her in the German indie film "Lola rennt", and here she is a refreshing presence amide all the spy intrigue. She plays Marie with a down-to-Earth honesty that works as an excellent balance to Damon's action anti-hero. Their chemistry is fresh and very real. These performances cannot be found in books.
All things considered, "The Bourne Identity" is one of the 10 best action films ever made.