The Bourne Identity (2004, DVD)

I don't have time to review this exhaustively, but want to be as thorough as I can. I'm also working under the assumption that you are interested in "The Bourne Supremacy" and "The Bourne Ultimatum" as well as this, the first movie in one of the best trilogies ever made. Opinions as to which movie is the best are well within the limits of personal taste; for me, this movie is the second best behind "The Bourne Ultimatum"; however, like the Beethoven symphonies, one of a great set has to be the least.

TBI starts in the middle of the sea; the Mediterranean, we find out soon enough. An Italian fishing boat finds a body left for dead in the middle of the night. The ship's surgeon is skilled and equipped sufficiently to remove some bullets and, in the process, fish out a diode that blinks what appears to be a Swiss bank number. The man, an American (Matt Damon, of course) regains consciousness, realizing that for the time being, he is among friends. He is able to remember how to speak, dress, play chess, read, and other daily skills, but has no idea how he ended up in the Mediterranean, much less shot, wearing a wetsuit, or anything else; he cannot even remember his name. Eventually, the fishermen leave him ashore with a small stipend to get to the Swiss bank, where the man finally learns what his name must have been -- Jason Bourne -- but not much help with who he is, except that he has a ton of cash, a portfolio of fake passports, and a gun. Except for the gun, he takes the treasure on his journey to find out more about Jason Bourne, no longer able to find buddies like the fishermen -- the Swiss police and the American Embassy security are both interested in detaining him, if not worse. His last friend is Maria, who gives him a ride to Paris for $10,000 so he can put together clues from his last known address. Meanwhile, some American federal agency (CIA? FBI? NSA? the issue doesn't press front and center) is trying to fix something that went wrong with Bourne. By "fix", we get the idea that keeping Bourne alive is not a high priority with the feds.

TBI was the only Bourne movie directed by Doug Liman, rather than Paul Greengrass. So we don't have the latter's hand-held camera sequences, and that's good and bad. The hand to hand combat scenes are a little less intense, but easier to watch. The car chase in Paris is top-notch.

My favorite part about TBI, and the other Bourne movies (or this new species of action movies, in general), is the dichotomy between the policy wonks, surrounded by their computer geeks in monitor-loaded command centers capable of generating impossible intelligence (apparently every intersection in Europe is now covered by a remote camera, no matter how remote) and the rubber-hits-the-road robot assassins, each receiving his assignments by way of a video cell-phone that was probably a bit hipper in 2002 than I'm remembering. For me, TBI belongs to Conklin (Chris Cooper), Bourne's trainer and supervisor, and apparently the one with the most to lose now that Jason is making noise all over Europe. He reports to another fine spook, Abbott (Brian Cox), but Conklin just gets me with his short-sleeve dress shirts and ties that make him look like an aluminum-siding salesman. I got the idea Conklin never did grasp the depth of the hole he'd fallen into, especially when he told Abbott "We will burn for this," and Abbott has an expression on his face like Tonto thinking "Whaddya you mean we, Kimosabe?"

Besides Abbott and Cos

I like the whole Bourne series of movies. They've got it all - action, intrigue, mystery, romance, a hunk! I bought this one because I knew I would watch it again and again. Some movies I watch once, and may even enjoy them, but know I won't want to watch them over and over. This one I will.

AWESOME MOVIE! MATT DAMON KICKS BUTT. TONS OF ACTION! WANT ALL THE SERIES!
THEY ARE ALL GREAT MOVIES. YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT.
A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Love the suspense and action. I am amazed at the special effects. Totally cool. Believable story line. If you like action filled movies this is one to see. I am so glad I added it to my library. Now I can watch it whenever I want. I highly recommend doing a movie marathon and watch The Bourne Identity, followed by The Bourne Supremecy then The Bourn Ultimatum. It is one blockbuster trilogy and best seen in the proper order.

Came quick and in good condition like described. I love the movie(s) all three that is. so i got em and watched all three in one night. ha

If there was a rating between Good and Excellent, that would be what I'd rate this.
I bought this movie because I'd heard it was pretty good. I wasn't disappointed.
I'm a child of the Cold War, and this reminds me of a well-done Cold War thriller. There wasn't an abundance of computer-generated graphics. If they were there, they were seamed into the real world very well. The driving and chase sequences were very realistic and the fighting was linear. Not that overblown professional wrestling type crap that is used all too often. The ending is a little weak, but that seems necessary tho leave room for the sequels. I don't mind as I'm looking forward to purchasing them also.
Even 'spook' type guys said it was done well. The should know.
While this isn't the 'Maltese Falcon' or 'Casablanca', I'll definitely be watching it again.

This movie had it all. Action, suspense, chase...you name it. Matt Damon plays his part too well. I would put this on the top shelf of my DVD collection. I bought this movie, because I want to see "Bourne Ultimatum". So I figured I better start from the beginning. So far so good.

It was what I wanted to complete my set and the price was very good. I don't know why I need to write 100 characters to say What I said in fewer . That is a waste of my time and space taken up. It deoesn't tkae a lot of words to say what can be said in a few. Thanks Dan

The story was so-so but the photography was horrible. Why they could not pull back from the subject just little bit so you could see what was happening and does this director every use a camera that is not hand held. If you get motion sickness, definitely do not watch this movie.

A must-have for the opening edition of this action-packed, heart-pounding trilogy! One action scene after another! Kept me at the edge of my chair the whole way through.

This was an action packed movie staring Matt Damon! Filled with twists and turns, keeping you on the edge of your seat. This was the beginning of the "Bourne Legacy" I absolutely loved it!!! As I Did all of the series. The person I bought it from was awesome and sent it speedy to me! The communication was great and they were fantastic! Got it to me in time for Christmas also! It was for a gift... to complete the set!

Many Thanks!!!

The Bourne Identity" is an action movie masterpiece. It begins though in the water, as our unnamed hero (Matt Damon) lies lifeless in the ocean. He is spotted by a fishing boat and brought aboard. The man looks nearly dead, as the crew doctor removes two bullets from his back, and also something that looks like a miniaturized laser pointer from his hip. Only instead of a little red light, it shoots out the address of a bank in Switzerland. The man, who remembers almost everything except for who he is, takes this as his only clue. The boat drops him off, and the doctor even gives him a little money to get to Switzerland.

There he realizes that he is very skilled in the martial arts. When threatened by two Swiss cops, he makes short work of them with a few quick reflexes. The next day he walks into the Swiss bank and gets another surprise. The contents of his cash box are a gun, a stack of passports, and money in US and foreign currency. The most authentic passport there identifies him as Jason Bourne, a man who lives in Paris.

The events in Switzerland prompt Bourne to want to know more, but before he can leave, the Swiss cops are all over him. And when he reaches the US embassy for help, even they try to arrest him. So, fleeing with no idea what is going on, Jason meets a woman named Marie (Franka Potente), who agrees to take him to Paris for $20,000.

What Jason doesn't know is that this goes higher than just Swiss cops wanting to arrest him. Back in America, the CIA's Ted Conklin (Chris Cooper) is a man looking to clean up a past hush-hush mission that went awry, and it is obvious that Jason played an essential part in it. Conklin dispatches assassins, he gets Satellite photos of everything Jason and Marie do, he goes into Marie's past life to pinpoint locations where they might hide out, and it soon becomes apparent to Jason that whoever he comes in contact with is in serious jeopardy.

This film was directed by Doug Liman, the guy who directed Swingers and also one of the best teen comedies ever made in the 90's, called Go. He is a more than qualified director, who with only a short body of work, already deserves to be named among the cream of the crop directors list. The Bourne Identity crackles and pops with elaborate suspense and thrills, showing us brilliantly shot gun battles, martial arts sequences, and one of the most exciting car chases, through the streets, sidewalks, steps, and oncoming traffic of Paris, ever shot.

He does all of this while still keeping us in tuned with what is going on with Jason Bourne. The film revolves around the mystery of his past, and the script is lined with surprises, even though there is barely a story beneath the mystery.

One of the best surprises though comes from the surprising performance by Matt Damon. Not only does he do the stunts to perfection, but he also has the tortured hero look that makes the character very compelling. The seriousness and intelligence he shows here makes him a great choice to play Bourne, playing him as a knowledgeable and skilled killer trying not only to stay alive and figure out who he is, but also to regain the humanity that the job made him lose.

Franka Potente is a very strong partner for him, and Chris Cooper, who spends much of the film barking orders, proves to be an exceptional nemesis. All this, combined with great stunt work, makes The Bourne Identity into a solid thriller not to be missed.

The Discs Were In very Good Condition no scratches present and They Appear to be very well taken care of. It was A very good transaction.

I bought this item for a Christmas gift and now I have the whole set. I receicved this DVD pretty fast in the mail. I was in good shape.

Great Action, excellent story line. Keeps you wondering what will happen next. Also makes you wonder if things like this really DO happen. An entertaining 2 hours that you will wish would keep going.

This movie is the beginning to an awesome trilogy. The Jason Bourne Trilogy is incredile. If you love action movies and have not see this trilogy then I highly reccomend it and I highly reccomed this movie! It is a must-see!

Exactly as it was described...............................................................................

I love the Bourne series. Best action triligy, in years . . . maybe ever. Characters have depth. Action is gripping and not over done. Friends who read the book say the movie pails in compairison - so I'm not reading the book because I like to movie to much!

ACTION MOVIES RULE AND THIS TRILOGY IS WORTH THE MONEY SPENT.MATT DAMON MOVIES WILL ALWAYS BE POPULAR IN MY OPINION.GREAT PLOT AND ACTORS.ALOT OF FUN.

i bought bourn identity a few weeks ago, along with the other borne movie, i read the book and was hooked on this guy. i haven't seen dvd yet but i am waiting for the last one. if u like exciting these movies are that.

Received the movie very quickly and really enjoyed it. Have watched it several time. The seller was very east to deal with. Hope to have other purchases in the future.

100 characters describing every detail of the transaction...? *sigh* i just wanted to say thank you

Gripping entertainment. Absolutely awesome, witty and very suspensful. A must see and own on DVD, the first of the bourne trilogy. Exceptional acting by Matt Damon, makes you want to fall in love with him.

What a great movie. Makes you want to get out there and train a little harder, so you too can take on the bad guy. Granted some of the stuff is movie magic, but you got to love it. Had to buy both Identity and Supremacy to get ready for the release of Ultimatum.