Rent The Bourne Identity (2002)

Bourne for success? - The Bourne Identity review by CP Customer

Robert Ludlum is a master crafter of spy/espionage thrillers and indeed the premise of this movie seems promising at the start.

Matt Damon plays Jason Bourne, (or does he?) who is picked up floating in the ocean by a ship that somewhat conveniently is in the vicinity.

Our hero cannot remember who he is, why he'd been shot twice in the back, nevermind why he's floating in the sea like a sponge.

Still undaunted, Jason goes about finding out who he is and clues lead him to a railway station but the mystery only deepens as he discovers a gun, several passports bearing his face and over 20,000 US dollars in cash.

So who is he? What is he? A spy or something else? An assassin perhaps? And the other question is why is someone determined to kill him before he gets the answers?

Sounds like a sure fire winner here, BUT....

Damon gives a good, not a great, but good performance as the confused hero and his supporting actress also gives a good, not great performance. And that sums up the film.

Trailers may suggest it's a white knuckled rollercoaster ride, but it isn't. It has some nice action sequences and a very good car chase, but somehow it never seems to hit top gear or really balze towards the finish line after leaving the blocks. The sequel I've been told is better and I shall hold judgment on that until I've seen it. As for this one, not bad, not bad at all but I think an opportunity to really establish Matt Damon as an action hero was squandered. I've seen worse but I've seen better, James Bond he ain't!

A Game Changer - Gritty Espionage Thriller - The Bourne Identity review by GI

The action thriller that effectively influenced all that followed it including the James Bond franchise and the Mission Impossible series not to mention the John Wick films, and basically all action espionage type movies. It set a new style and standard for gritty action, fights and a down-to-earth realism with it's car chases, plot, camera use, editing and setting. Its very loosely adapted from a celebrated novel, indeed the choice of Matt Damon is a big departure from the Jason Bourne of the book where he is a much older character. I'm sure everyone has seen this but it's very worthy of a rewatch where you'll notice that it still stands up against modern action films including the latest 007 No Time To Die. The plot is neatly convoluted where a half dead man is found floating in the Mediterranean. He has amnesia with only a Zurich bank account number as a clue to who he might be. Discovering his name maybe Jason Bourne he sets out to try and find out who he is and gradually finds he has some very unusual skills. With the help of a young woman, Marie (Franka Potente) he soon finds he's being hunted. With a great support cast of Chris Cooper (always excellent), Brian Cox and Clive Owen this is a fantastic spy thriller. It started a short series, all of which are excellent (with the exception of The Bourne Legacy where the actual Bourne character isn't involved - a rather poorly conceived film in fact) and it made Matt Damon into a respected action star. A film to rediscover, it's just as good as when it was made.

What happened to the book's story line? - The Bourne Identity review by CP Customer

The big advantage is that you can read the book and see the film without having to decide which is better.