Kudos to the makers of “The Bourne Identity” for finally producing a worthy spy thriller that doesn’t involve spiffy gadgets and an overkill of special effects. This is retro textbook spy material we’re talking about here. It goes back to the basics, making it one of the best spy films in years.
With many comparing it to the likes of “The French Connection,” Matt Damon really excels as Jason Bourne, a man with a pretty big problem. After waking up on a fishing boat in the middle of the Mediterranean, Bourne finds he has two bullet holes lodged in his back and a small capsule with a Swiss bank account number planted in his hip. But these aren’t the worst of his problems, because poor old Bourne doesn’t remember who he is or what he’s done in the past two weeks.
With only the bank account number as a lead, Bourne hightails it to Zurich where he heads to the bank to discover a large suitcase in his deposit box with all of the essentials: six completely different passports, a gun and a few thousand dollars in numerous currencies. After persuading a woman (Franka Potente) to drive him to Paris for $10,000, Bourne begins to put back his past piece by piece while being chased down by just about every law enforcement agency imaginable.
Director Doug Liman (“Swingers” and “Go”) brings everything to the table in his first big-budget movie, perfecting almost every detail he can squeeze in the two-hour film without making it boring. The cinematography is amazing in the painterly European settings as well as in the fantastic action sequences, most notably the most exciting car chase I have seen in a very long time.
“The Bourne Identity” really is a film for anyone, engaging in a very mature plot and still managing to stay under a PG-13 rating. Damon and Potente’s chemistry is perfect as is the surrounding characters’ involvement within the whole story.
4 / 5 Stars
Starring: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox
Director: Doug Liman
