The Bourne Identity (2002)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Doug Liman

Writers (WGA):

Tony Gilroy (screenplay) and
W. Blake Herron (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 June 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

He was the perfect weapon until he became the target.

Plot:

A man is picked up by a fishing boat, bullet-riddled and without memory, then races to elude assassins and recover from amnesia.

Plot Keywords:

Bank | Boat | Sea | Bank Account | Fishing Boat

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Matt Damon	...	Jason Bourne
Franka Potente	...	Marie
Chris Cooper	...	Conklin
Clive Owen	...	The Professor
Brian Cox	...	Ward Abbott
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje	...	Wombosi
Gabriel Mann	...	Zorn
Walton Goggins	...	Research Tech
Josh Hamilton	...	Research Tech
Julia Stiles	...	Nicolette
Orso Maria Guerrini	...	Giancarlo (as Orso Maria-Guerrini)
Tim Dutton	...	Eamon
Denis Braccini	...	Picot
Nicky Naude	...	Castel
David Selburg	...	Marshall

Also Known As:

Die Bourne Identität (Germany)
Identidad desconocida (Argentina) (Colombia) [es]
La mémoire dans la peau (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Идентификация Борна (Russia) [ru]
A Identidade Bourne (Brazil) [pt]
A bourne-rejtély (Hungary) [hu]
Bornov identitet (Serbia) [sr]
Bourneov identitet (Croatia) [hr]
Die Bourne Identität (Austria) [de]
El caso Bourne (Spain) [es]
Geçmisi olmayan adam (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Horis taftotita (Greece) [el]
Hvem var Jason Bourne (Norway) [no]
Manden uden navn (Denmark) [da]
Medusan verkko (Finland) [fi]
Tozsamosc Bourne'a (Poland) [pl]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence and some language.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA | Germany | Czech Republic

Language:

English | French | German | Dutch | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 (TV rating) | Malaysia:18SG | Hungary:14 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:12 | Italy:T | India:UA | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Austria:14 | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (certificate #37892) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Iceland:14 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Avenue Kleber, Paris 8, Paris, France

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The region in Greece shown at the end of the movie is the island of Mykonos in the Aegean sea.

Goofs:

Continuity: Right before Wombosi gets shot, he is coming down the stairs followed by his bodyguard. But at the moment Womosi is shot there is nobody behind him.

Quotes:

Nykwana Wombosi: If you are going to kill me, kill me dead!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Happy Tree Friends: Hear Today, Gone Tomorrow/Double Whammy/Autopsy Turvy (#1.13)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

It's Undeniable

First-class spy thriller, if you haven't read the books...

After years of being on the run, Jason Bourne has finally been caught... and added to my growing DVD collection. "The Bourne Identity" is a cracking espionage thriller with a surprising choice of lead actors. A gamble, as it turns out, that pays off in spades. This is easily one of the best all-out action films I've seen in recent years and even blatant discrepancies between film and book fail to sour your enjoyment, unless you're a serious Ludlum reader (which I am not but am thinking of rectifying this situation after watching this).

Baby-faced Matt Damon plays Jason Bourne, picked up by sailors drifting out to sea. He has no memory of who or what he is, he has several bullets still in him and a curious gizmo in his hip which tells him of an accountant held in Zurich. Gradually, Jason begins to put the pieces back together again, especially when he discovers that unknown individuals are out to kill him for reasons beyond him. Luckily for Jason, he has an uncanny instinct for violence and escapism which will doubtless prove useful. Along for the ride is Marie (Franka Potente), a German civilian who quickly gets caught up in the fracas with the aid of a funky red Mini Cooper.

Sharp, snazzy and well paced, "The Bourne Identity" is a blast-a-minute spy film in the great traditions of James Bond. Exotic locations throughout Europe, a sexy female companion and OTT set-pieces - what more could you ask for? Thankfully, Bourne is much more of an intriguing character than 007 as his memory loss provides him (and us, of course) the perfect vehicle for clue-chasing and baddie-bashing. Amnesia is a tricky thing to sell to an audience for credibility but this is a rare exception. He has no snappy one-liners, no cheesy chat-up lines. He feels much more like an actual spy rather than Bond's increasingly frequent self-parody of such. Neither does the action feel too contrived as a gripping escape from the US embassy in Paris proves. The subsequent car-chase also is exciting and very well produced, though nothing to touch "Taxi" (the French original, anyway) for a car chase in Paris. Both Damon and Potente (who I've only seen in "Run, Lola, Run") are first-class, portraying the unwitting fugitives with tense brilliance. The soundtrack is also first-rate - pulsating and rarely intrusive, typical Moby but if you're a fan (as I am) then you'll lap it up.

There are some slight issues I have to question, though. The character of principal super-assassin The Professor (one-time Bond candidate Clive Owen) felt a little stereotypical to me and not enough is explained by the time the ending arrives, meaning I'll have to catch Bourne again in "The Bourne Supremacy". But the fact is that this feels like a modern spy film. It's tense, thrilling and engrossing as you continue to discover more about Bourne and what he does. It's more contemporary than Bond and it pisses all over "xXx". Despite initial belief that he was too nice to play a hard-ass spy, Damon proves me wrong and in the best possible way. "The Bourne Identity" comes highly recommended from this viewer, who is now off to buy some Ludlum books. And that is mighty praise indeed.