The Bourne Identity (2003, VHS)

have enjoyed many spy thriller movies in the past. I've been wanting to see The Bourne Identity ever since I first saw the previews of the movie. I was finally able to go see it with my best friend. We both really liked the movie, and she doesn't usually like spy movies. Since the movie has been playing for a while, the theater wasn't too packed, which is how we prefer it. Though we almost missed the movie thanks to a problem I had with the ATM machine - the thing ate my card. Someone from the bank got my card back, and off to the movie we went, making it with only minutes to spare. I liked the movie so much that I got the book by Robert Ludlum later that afternoon.

The Bourne Identity was rated PG-13 for some violence and language. I don t think children of any age should see this movie because of the violence. The movie was 118 minutes long. The movie was based on a book, The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum, that is part of a three-book series. I haven t read the book, so I don t know how much was changed for the movie.

PLOT

One night during a bad storm, a man was found floating unconscious in the Mediterranean Sea and brought onto a fishing boat. The doctor on the boat tended the injured man, removing two bullets from his back and a small laser pointer thing from his hip. The laser pointer thing revealed the number of an account in a bank in Switzerland. The man woke up not knowing where he was or who he was. He eventually made his way to the bank in Switzerland where he had a safety deposit box full of things, including a passport with the name Jason Bourne and a Paris address. Also in the box were several other passports, all from different countries with different names and a gun. He left with everything except the gun. He didn t know it at the time, but he was being watched by the CIA.

Ward Abbott, an agent with the CIA, was concerned about something connected to a failed mission. The operative had gone missing and Abbott and Conklin, another CIA agent, were very worried about what was going on. Conklin decided that the missing agent needed to be found and taken care of.

Jason realized that people are after him, but he didn t know why. He was skilled in martial arts, something he found out when the police tried to arrest him for sleeping on a park bench. He met a woman named Marie and offered to pay her $20,000 if she would drive him to Paris. $10,000 up front and the rest when they get there. She needed the money so she agreed. He eventually lets her know what is going on. They spend a lot of time together and seem to be attracted to each other. Jason started to remember bits from his past, but he was still missing large pieces.

Many more things happened throughout the movie. I ve only mentioned things that happened near the beginning of the movie, so I didn t include any spoilers in the review. The movie was fast paced so a lot happened in a short amount of time. If you want to find out how everything turns out, see the movie.

**End of Plot Discussion**

The Bourne Identity had mystery and suspense in it. There were some suspenseful moments here and there throughout the movie. I didn t know what would happen next most of the time. The mystery deals with who Jason Bourne really was, and if that is even his real name. Jason had amnesia and spends most of the movie trying to figure out who he was and how he ended up floating in the Mediterranean Sea. As the movie progressed, he remembered a few things here and there. There was an explanation near the end of the movie, but I didn t think it completely explained everything. Something was briefly mentioned in the explanation, but it wasn t expanded on enough for me. I just thought there needed to be a little more information about this thing. I m being vague on purpose here so I don t accidentally tell too much and spoil the movie for someone who hasn t seen it yet.

There was action and some violence throughout The Bourne Identity. There were some chases, fights, and shootouts. Jason was an expert in some kind of martial arts. He remembered those skills when he still didn t know who he is, and he used them several times during the movie. Jason was also able to drive evasively through the streets of Paris in Marie s tiny car the first time he drove her car. He knew that he had to go into hiding even when he didn t know who was after him. People who don t like action movies or movies with violence in them should avoid this movie.

There really weren t a lot of gross or bloody scenes in The Bourne Identity, but there were a few things that aren t too pleasant to see. At the beginning of the movie, the doctor on the boat removed two bullets from Jason s back. Then the doctor finds and removed the laser pointer thing from Jason s hip. I really didn t need to see those things. In fact, I did have to cover my eyes during those parts, but I did see a little. What I did see was rather gross. Anyone who has a weak stomach concerning blood and things of this nature should probably do the same during that part. It did t last long. Later in the movie, Matt Damon did have his shirt off once or twice and he looked very good. That made up for the few gross things at the beginning of the movie.

There were a few things in The Bourne Identity that weren t completely explained, and a few other things that just didn t make sense to me. First of all, unless I have totally forgotten geography, or Switzerland got up and moved, it is not along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. At that point in the movie, Jason had no identification of any kind and didn t know what his name was. So how did he get into Switzerland without a passport? I m thinking this was explained more in the book, but it was cut because of time issues, but I don t know since I haven t read the book yet.

I have two more little nit picky things that did bug me just a little bit. They weren t a big deal, but they did bug me just a bit when I was watching the movie. When Jason left the bank in Switzerland, he put the stuff from his safety deposit box into a bright red bag from the bank that was very noticeable. It really stood out. Jason kept the things in that bag from then on. I didn t understand why he didn t put his stuff into a less noticeable bag, especially when he knew that he was being followed.

Jason and Marie went on the run, trying to avoid whoever is after Jason. They decided that Marie needed to change her hair as a disguise. Jason helped her color it and then he cuts it. He did a horrible job cutting her hair, chopping it all up. Once he was done, Marie s hair looked perfect. I m guessing Damon was actually hacking away on a wig, but I could be wrong. Jason had many talents he discovered and uses during the movie, but cutting hair isn t one of them. Those two things were really minor. They did bug me a bit when I was watching the movie, but they didn t cause me to enjoy the movie any less.

I think that the acting in The Bourne Identity was good. This was a different sort of role for Matt Damon, but he was very good. I thought he was believable as an action character. It was obvious from his appearance - especially when he had his shirt off - that he spent time working out to get in shape for this role. He was in very good shape. I have heard that there is a chance that there will be more movies made with Jason Bourne as a character. I would like to see him in more movies. Jason managed to adjust very quickly to what was going on and he trusted Marie soon after they met.

I ve never seen Franka Potente in any other movies before, but I thought she was good as Marie. She got pulled into everything just because she needed the money he offered. As they spent more time together, she grew closer to Jason. Marie was a very caring woman. Julia Stiles had a very small role in The Bourne Identity. Her character, Nicky, was a CIA agent working in Paris. She just seemed to monitor phone calls and do things on computers. Her character didn t have much to do, so there wasn t much for Stiles to do. I m really not sure why she was in the movie at all. This could be her way of moving into more adult oriented movies from the teenager type movies she has been in before.

Chris Cooper was really good as Conklin. He was another CIA agent that was connected to some very top secret things that he wanted to keep that way. He was receiving a lot of pressure from Ward Abbott to clean up a situation. Ward was also connected to some very secret programs and missions. Ward was willing to do whatever he had to do to protect those things. Brian Cox was very good in the part.

Main Cast

Chris Cooper - Conklin
Brian Cox - Ward Abbott
Matt Damon - Jason Bourne
Clive Owen - The Professor
Franka Potente - Marie
Julia Stiles - Nicky

Doug Liman - Director

The Bourne Identity was a very good, enjoyable movie. There was a lot of action throughout the movie. I didn t think any part of the movie was boring. There were a few minor things that stood out to me and bugged me a bit, but they didn t detract from my overall enjoyment of the movie. This was a very good action/spy/thriller. People who like this type of movie should enjoy The Bourne Identity.

Bourne Movies
The Bourne Identity ~ The Bourne Supremacy ~ The Bourne Ultimatum ~