Bourne, Bourne again, and Bourne again.
- Review By:
- tpb
- Date:
- April 19, 2009
- Movie:
- The Bourne Identity
- Director:
- Doug Liman
- Released:
- 2002
- Good Guy:
- Jason Bourne
- Played By:
- Matt Damon
- Bad Guy:
- Conklin
- Played By:
- Chris Cooper
- MPAA Rating:
- PG-13
- Family Friendly Ages:
- Young teens
The Bourne trilogy (The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)) is, arguably, the best Action Movie series out there. Sure Die Hard is perfect. But Die Hard 2: Die Harder is just plain difficult to watch. Ditto with the third, Die Hard With A Vengeance. Die Hard 4: Live Free Or Die Hard picked up the pace and seemed aimed at turning the franchise around, but it doesn't repair the damage, it only relieves the viewer. No. There is no better action series than the Bourne movies.
It all begins in the Identity with Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) waking up an amnesia victim; demonstrating remarkable and dangerous abilities; meeting and falling in love with Marie Kreutz (Franka Potente); continually getting the two of them out of difficult and deadly situations as they crisscross Europe; and taking on a CIA covert operations team while deliciously beating them at their own game again and again.
Potente and Damon have ideal chemistry. There is not one mis-step in her characterization of a free-spirit in search of the meaning of life who just happens to meet a trained assassin who doesn't know who he is. She winces at the violence, barfs in fear of constant threat, and stands up when she needs to to do whatever it takes to move the two of them toward their goals. Damon's Bourne is just as good. Not once does he fail to deliver Bourne's humanity as he dispatches his pursuers with robotic precision. He is the reluctant but oh-so-capable hero who uses the system against itself. It's a thrill ride all the way with clipped and edgy editing and a soundtrack that pulls you along, pushes you forward, and rewards you at the end with Moby's 'Extreme Ways' lifting you right off the couch and forcing you immediately to watch the next in the series.
The Bourne Identity is brilliant. It's exceptionally acted and it assumes its audience can figure out plot devices without harping or over-done and over-blown narration. And those chase scenes... there's no slow motion to remove you from the action or over-stylize the sequences. These cars are slammed up against the screen and the drivers are rattled inside them as realistically as I've ever seen. I get whiplash every time.
The Bourne Identity is just a cool movie that deserves repeat viewings. But, I would say the same about the other two as well. Get them all. It's just so worth it.
I'm with you all the way on these movies. They're great! And they seem to get better every time I see them. Damon is perfect! Potente is perfect! And so are Joan Allen, Chris Cooper, David Strathairn, Julia Stiles and the rest of the CIA crew. I've got to underscore your comments about the car chases. The one in Moscow in Supremacy has got to be the best ever! Thanks for the review!