Rent The Bourne Identity (2002)

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.

A good start to the Bourne franchise, but this film still has its issues, despite some great action - The Bourne Identity review by TB

In many ways, Jason Bourne saved James Bond. Conceived very deliberately by both Robert Ludlum & the filmmakers as the anti-Bond, this series was designed to show espionage in a very real light. There were precious few gadgets to get you out of trouble, no supercars & if you were caught, you were disowned. Released the same year as the atrocious Die Another Day, this really turned the spy film genre on its head, forcing the 007 producers as well as other filmmakers to up their game.

But despite this monumental achievement, this film is for me only fairly average in many ways. The script is a bit too spare in many ways, as much as we are in the same position as Bourne, trying to work out what is happening. I also really disliked how it looked: limp, miserable, dank and colourless. Even the outside scenes are dreary. Again, I appreciate the point the filmmakers are trying to show: the grim & dark world of espionage. But they have gone far too far the other way.

The chemistry between Damon & Franka Potente (Marie) is also fairly terrible as well. When they first meet, they are both in a sense lost. As they brave danger together, you expect & see them get closer together. But I never was convinced about this element of the film, in this film. In Supremacy, their screen time & interactions are far more believable, which again I put at the feet of Paul Greengrass. Marie, despite Potente's best efforts, is mainly very annoying & grating. And as the film progresses, as much as she has some good moments, for me it is never what it could have been.

But there are some big positives to this film, starting with Damon. Apart from some small supporting parts in action films, most people knew him from dramas such as Talented Mr Ripley & Good Will Hunting. But he absolutely owns & is believable as Jason Bourne. It is clear he worked extensively with the stunts & never looks anything less than the spy Ludlum so clearly envisaged. The only outstanding performance comes from Chris Cooper as Conklin, Bourne's handler. Cooper is always exceptional in whatever he is in, and he dominates the screen here, every inch the burnt-out, cynical & devious spy. You feel his horror as the programme he was the author of spins completely out of his control. Brian Cox is also great as Conklin's boss, channeling his considerable power into the two handers between them.

I do feel that most of the blame for this film's failings, as I said earlier, are down to the director, rather than the cast. I fully appreciate and Damon has gone on the record to say that without Doug Liman, this film and the franchise would not exist. But there are as many shortcomings as there are great moments. And it is strange, as some of his other films, particularly Edge of Tomorrow & American Made, are fantastic films. You sort of wonder how the same man made those two films when you compare it to this one.

There are definitely some good moments, but for me, this is and always will be the weakest of the franchise. Watch this and then immediately put on/rent Bourne Supremacy. That is a masterpiece.