The Bourne Identity (2003, DVD)

Well now, lookie here! Four passes to the new Matt Damon movie, The Bourne Identity, based on the Robert Ludlum novel. Never being one to pass up a freebie, off to the movies I went, even though I've never been a huge Matt Damon fan. My only disappointment was that my companions were my oldest son and my brother. My husband, the oh-so-jealous Ludlum fan, was out of town.

So, tell me, what's the movie about?

A man (Matt Damon) is found floating in the Mediterranean by the crew of a fishing boat. He has 2 bullets in his back, and a laser pointer implanted in his hip. Here's where the suspension of reality starts...I found it so hard to believe that anyone would survive two gunshot wounds and however many unconscious hours floating in the Mediterranean. But of course he survives, or this would be the world's shortest film. He awakens, remembering nothing. No name, no home, no idea how he ended up in the water, or why he was shot....nothing, except the four languages he speaks. (Perhaps the film should have been titled The Bourne Lack of Identity?) The laser pointer the doctor removed from his hip displays the number of a bank account in Switzerland. With some money given to him by the doctor he sets out for the Zurich bank, on the way discovering his lethal fighting skills and incredibly calm and lightning fast ability to respond to dangerous situations. Inside his safety deposit box he finds a lot of money, even more passports, and a gun. He also discovers his identity: Jason Bourne.

So, who is Jason Bourne? It's pretty easy to see which way this plot's going to go. Within minutes of leaving the bank he is identified by CIA operatives. Are these guys the good guys? Is Jason Bourne the enemy? He winds up trapped in the U.S. embassy, being hunted down by every guard in the building, each determined to capture him. I did find it quite improbable that anyone, no matter how good they are, could manage to be that good and that incredibly lucky to be able to escape from the U.S. Embassy. I mean, we're talking about highly trained Marines (I think they're Marines, not positive though) guarding the Embassy, and we're not talking about 5 or 6 of them, we're talking at least 20, but probably more. They were swarming the building. And why in the world did they not have anyone outside the building, other than at the front door? Did they expect Bourne would just try to waltz his way out those doors unnoticed? I think not. With the amount of alarms blaring and the detailed security procedures going on inside the building during the search for Bourne, I'm thinking that building would be completely surrounded, someone on every side of that building, just as a precaution. He makes his escape, then meets up with Marie (Franka Potente). She's desperate for money, he's desperate for a way out of Zurich, so he offers her $10,000 to drive him to Paris in her red Mini (I think it was a Mini...it was a tiny little red car anyway!) and she accepts, although hesitant about the whole idea.

Once in Paris the typical "action movie" stuff begins. Attempts on Bourne's life, running from every cop in Paris, Bourne and Marie are trying to figure out just what the hell is going on, who Bourne is, and why are these hired killers after him? There is an exhilarating chase scene, often against traffic, through streets where the tiny Mini definitely has an distinct advantage over police cars, down sidewalks and steps, weaving in and out of insane traffic. Conklin (Chris Cooper) is back at CIA headquarters in the US, sweating out every blown attempt on Bourne's life, while trying to deal with the pressures from Ward Abbott (Brian Cox) to "clean up" whatever it is that's gone wrong. Throw in some political trouble via an assassination attempt against an ex-African leader (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje...think OZ) and the knowledge that an array of elite international hitmen are hunting down Bourne and Marie, and you've got action for almost two hours.

And what did we think of the movie?

I was thinking throughout the movie about the fact that it was rather unbelievable that Bourne could remember absolutely nothing about himself, but he could remember all the languages he spoke, all his martial arts abilities, etc. What I really liked was that this question was addressed by Bourne himself commenting on the very same thing at one point in the movie, wondering why he would remember all of these things, but not a single shred of his identity. (I assumed that the reason that Bourne remembered nothing about himself was because he didn't want to remember anything about himself. Was I right? See the movie!)

I was also pretty impressed by Bourne's haircutting ability. Who knew that Matt Damon had gone to hairdressing school? At one point in the movie, in the standard "we've got to change our appearances so they won't recognize us" scene, Bourne absolutely butchers Marie's hair. I sure do wish I could wake up in the morning after a cut like that and have almost perfect hair! Come on guys, do you expect us to believe Vidal Sassoon was hiding in the closet of the hotel?

In all honesty, I am not an "action movie kinda girl"....I prefer dramas and yes, chick flicks. So what did I think? I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, even with the pretty brutal fight scenes. I haven't yet read the book, so I don't have anything to compare the movie to in those terms....I'm sure my husband will have plenty to say though! This one kept me on the edge of my seat every step of the way. I found the plot quite easy to follow, no weird twists or turns that had me feeling I had missed something. And I thought Matt Damon did a great job in his role. I've always thought of him as a "boy"....Matt Damon has grown up. He played his role well, and I found him completely convincing for the most part. There were a few flat scenes, but all in all, a job well done. I thought Potente did a pretty convincing job as well, playing a shell-shocked, emotionally numb, drained, "what the hell is going on and what have I gotten myself into?" woman who needs desperately to keep it together to stay alive. And I found the interplay between Damon and Potente to be believable. Julia Stiles appears in the movie as well, although I'm assuming it was just for window-dressing. Not one of us really could figure out just why her character was in the film, other than for that reason.

I did find the sound to be quite loud....just discussing it with my brother minutes ago we were both wondering if that's really how loud it sounds when you hit someone? Not that we'd know, just wondering. But it was very effective, and I liked the tremendous attention to detail, breaking glass, gunshots, it was almost like being there.

Would we all recommend this flick? Yep, two thumbs up from all three of us. If you're an action fan this one fits the bill better than most. If you're a chick flick girl, give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised. Sure, Bourne probably wouldn't survive two gunshot wounds and a dump in the Med....but that's what movies are about. Suspending reality for a little bit, and entertaining while doing so. This movie definitely entertains.

Favourite line from the film, Marie to Bourne: "He went out the window. (pause) Who does that?"