|
Movies •Books •Music •Food •Tv Shows •Technology •Politics •Video Games •Parenting •Fashion •Green Living •more >

Lunch » Tags » Movies » Reviews » The Bourne Identity (movie) » User review

Excellent Thriller!

  • May 3, 2009
  • by
Rating:
+5
This is a very different thriller, with one of the most intriguing characters I have seen in a thriller. A body is pulled from the ocean with a couple of bullet holes in the back. Amazingly, the man is still alive. He is treated by the ship's physician and slowly brought back to health. The only problem is that he lost his memory. The physician finds a metal nugget in the man that projects a bank safety deposit box number.

With no clue as to who he is, the man goes to the bank and is able to get to the box with his thumbprint as his identification. Inside the box he finds a slew of passports, currency and weapons. Each of the passports is under different names. He uses the one that says Jason Bourne and when he uses it for travel, the immigration computer sets off a whole bunch of alarms to some CIA operatives that very much want him dead.

At a US embassy, Jason eludes his assassins (through some highly refined combat techniques and climbing skills) and asks for a ride from a lady he saw at the embassy. She takes him, unknowingly putting herself in danger. The two of them need to unravel Jason's mystery as to who he is, why he has the skills that he has, and why are the government agents trying to kill him.

Jason and the woman (Marie) head to Paris to an address that Jason lived at. There Jason is attacked by a hitman who has photos of both Jason and Marie that were taken back at the embassy. Suddenly Marie realizes that she is stuck with Jason fighting unknown enemies, just to stay alive.

The movie is quite different than the book of the same name but is excellent nonetheless. Matt Damon appears well cast and all the CIA operatives are excellent as well (Julia Styles plays one of them). The actress that plays Marie does a passable job and there seems to be a good chemistry that evolves between her and Damon.

A non-stop roller coaster ride with some great car chases thrown in. This movie is one of the best thrillers that I have seen!

What did you think of this review?

Helpful
6
Thought-Provoking
4
Fun to Read
4
Well-Organized
4
Post a Comment
May 03, 2009
Good review -- I read the books as well and thought this a decent adaptation.
May 03, 2009
I actually found the second and third movies to be way better than the books.
 
1
More The Bourne Identity (movie) reviews
Quick Tip by . June 15, 2010
An inside look at the shadow governing principles that most of us will never know about.
review by . January 27, 2006
posted in Movie Hype
First I'm just reviewing this movie and I have never read the Bourne Novels nor have I seen the old Miniseries from 1988 so I am comparing this movie to nothing. My one and only problem with this film is the leading female actress Franka Potente (Marie), I don't know if it was her character that was annoying or just her in general. She was constantly in the way and almost making you want something to happen to her character.     It almost seems like the producers thought if they …
review by . August 26, 2004
posted in Movie Hype
This is a very different thriller, with one of the most intriguing characters I have seen in a thriller. A body is pulled from the ocean with a couple of bullet holes in the back. Amazingly, the man is still alive. He is treated by the ship's physician and slowly brought back to health. The only problem is that he lost his memory. The physician finds a metal nugget in the man that projects a bank safety deposit box number.     With no clue as to who he is, the man goes to the …
review by . January 26, 2004
posted in Movie Hype
I first happened to watch part of THE BOURNE IDENTITY on cable. I watched the first twenty minutes of the film before I had to leave. What I saw intrigued me enough that a few weeks later I rented the DVD. Overall, the movie wasn't too shabby. It's got some good action sequences (especially the car chase) and a few unexpected surprises. Still, the ending of the movie was a little bit of a let down, almost too cliched. The audience knew from the beginning who Jason Bourne was almost from the beginning …
review by . January 26, 2003
posted in Movie Hype
THE BOURNE IDENTITY is a tightly conceived, well directed, well photographed and particularly well acted suspense thriller loosely based on the Robert Ludlum best seller. True, many liberties have been taken from the novel, but when you take the time to note that Ludlum himself is the producer, then all arguments are off. Matt Damon and Franka Potente are terrific as the amnesiac agent and his 'only friend' who helps him escape a mad and endless chase from multiple groups of would be assassins. …
review by . December 19, 2002
The Bourne Identity is a perfectly watchable European spy-on-the-lam jaunt, best watched (as I did) as a captive audience, imprisoned on a long-haul plane trip. It certainly appeals when the alternative is studying the emergency procedures card.Matt Damon is credible, Robert Ludlum's plot is zippy, the central performances are solid enough (though the supporting cast is flakey, and the usually reliable Chris Cooper is plain ludicrous as Captain Trunk of the FBI). However, any pretensions the film …
review by . November 27, 2002
What can I say? I was enormously disappointed. I've been a fan of Robert Ludlum for probably 15 years. This movie was a resonably decent "action/adventure" -- but it bore little resemblence to the novel I loved.And Matt Damon? As Jason Bourne? I don't THINK so!If you want to see a somewhat entertaining example of this genre, rent -- don't buy. But if you are a purist (or at least like your book to movie translations to be recognizable) you won't care much for this one.
review by . June 14, 2002
posted in Movie Hype
Pros: Good Drama and Damon is good.     Cons: Some plot holes, does not tie up all the threads.     The Bottom Line: A solid well crafted thriller.     Who am I and why am I here? These are not the questions asked of a person pondering the nature of the universe and existence, rather they are the questions asked by Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) in the new thriller “The Bourne Identity” as he attempts to unravel the deadly mystery in which he …
see all The Bourne Identity (movie) reviews (9)
About the reviewer

Ranked #11
I first got on this blog to discuss my first passion which is books. Since I have gotten on I find that books are only a piece of this blog and I can discuss just about anything that comes to mind. It … more
Consider the Source

Use Trust Points to see how much you can rely on this review.

You
MichaelN
Your ratings:
Eagle Eye
Eagle Eye
Rear Window
Rear Window
DVD front
The Lord of the Rings: Th …
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Episode V - Th …
rate more to improve this
Recent reviews by MichaelN
The 50 Greatest Players in New York Yankees History a book
Excelllent Reference Book!
a review of The 50 Greatest Players in New York ...
The Great Gatsby (2013 film)
Excellent Adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Classic! …
a review of The Great Gatsby (2013 film)
'Star Trek Into Darkness'
An Excellent Follow-up, Keep Them Coming!
a review of Star Trek Into Darkness
see more reviews
About this movie

Wiki

As THE BOURNE IDENTITY begins, a man who may or may not be Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is found floating in the Mediterranean Sea and is hauled onto a fishing boat. When the ship's doctor examines the unconscious castaway, he discovers two bullet wounds and an implanted device that displays a Swiss bank account number. With nothing but this code, the amnesiac Bourne travels to Zurich and gains access to a safe-deposit box containing a gun, thousands of dollars in various currencies, and valid passports from numerous countries--each listing a different identity. Within minutes, Bourne is on the run from a seemingly ever-present agency, relying on language and fighting skills he didn't even know he possessed. Offering $20,000 for a ride to Paris, Bourne gains the reluctant help of the nomadic Marie (Franka Potente). Meanwhile, the shadowy organization, headed by a tough-talking bureaucrat (Chris Cooper), sends numerous assassins (including the Professor, played by Clive Owen) after Bourne and Marie.
view wiki

Tags

Movies, Drama Movies, Action Movies
see all

Details

Director: Doug Liman
Genre: Drama
Release Date: June 14, 2002
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 58min
Studio: Universal Studios
see all (8)
Lists with this movie
The Godfather
My top 100 best films of all time Part (1)
Collateral
Best Movies of All Time..(Simply My Opinion)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Fifteen Movies that Left us With Burning Questions and/or Gaping Plot Holes!
see all lists (4)
Polls with this movie
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Matt Damon Oscars

by

First to Review

"The classic novel is Bourne Again in 2002 on the big screen."
© 2013 Lunch.com, LLC All Rights Reserved
Lunch.com - Relevant reviews by real people.
()
This is you!
Ranked #
Last login
Member since
reviews
comments
ratings
questions
compliments
lists