The Bourne Identity Review

by Rose 'Bams' Cooper (bams AT 3blackchicks DOT com)
June 18th, 2002
'3BlackChicks Review...'

THE BOURNE IDENTITY (2002)
Rated PG-13; running time 118 minutes
Studio: Universal Pictures
Genre: Action
Seen at: Celebration Cinema (Lansing, Michigan)
Official site: http://www.bourne-identity.com/
IMDB site: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0258463
Written by: W. Blake Herron, Tony Gilroy, David Self
(based on the novel by Robert Ludlum)
Directed by: Doug Liman
Cast: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox, Adelwale Akinnuoye-Agabaje, Julia Stiles

Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2002
Review URL: http://www.3blackchicks.com/2002reviews/bamsbourne.html

First Halle Berry, then Bernie Mac; now this guy? I'm able to not only tolerate, but greatly appreciate, a performance by Matt Damon? Next thing you know, I'll start fessin' up to having liked a Nicholas Cage/John Woo collaboration!

THE STORY (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**)
In THE BOURNE IDENTITY, a man is found floating in the Mediterranean Sea, near death, by a group of fishermen. As surprised as they are that he wasn't drowned, they are even more shocked to see his back riddled with bullets, and some kind of device implanted into his hip. The man recovers physically, but he suffers from amnesia, though he somehow knows multiple languages and has extraordinary fighting and defensive skills.

Using a clue garnered from the implant, he sets out to discover who he is and why he was shot, enlisting the help of the reluctant Marie Kreutz (Franka Potente) along the way. But the closer he comes to finding out the truth, the more endangered he and Marie get - especially when CIA Agent Ted Conklin (Chris Cooper), politician Ward Abbott (Brian Cox), and a mysterious character known as The Professor (Clive Owen) become involved.

THE UPSHOT (WARNING: **more spoilers contained below**)
Color me surprised that I found myself enjoying Matt Damon here. I've never been a fan of the coke-and-a-smile school of acting that he and Tom "blech" Cruise excel in; but Damon's trademark smirk rarely showed up in THE BOURNE IDENTITY. A Good Thing, if ever there was one.
Indeed, while the gritty European feel to the film earned my appreciation for not looking like a polished American spy caper, it was Damon's decided lack-of-smirk that drew me in. The mind-muddled, instinct-driven Action Man that was Jason Bourne, kept me glued to my seat throughout this sometimes suspenseful, often intriguing and exciting movie. From the time he calmly made his way through the embassy, to the somewhat anticlimactic climax, I was convinced that his character was the kind of shadow operative governmental Alphabet agencies would use. And though her RUN LOLA RUN character was much more interesting, Franka Potente was just as convincing as the flighty Marie; her shocked reaction to her new situation as a woman on the run, was wonderfully, genuinely played. I was certainly sold.

No, I haven't completely taken leave of my senses: this flick is far from perfect. I'm not sure I'd call them "plot holes", but some of its puzzle pieces just never fit into a complete picture. Cast-wise, whole handfuls of able actors - Walt Goggins and Julie Stiles, especially - were given little to do but React to tossed-out lines from Chris Cooper's CIA character. Stiles' character, in particular, amounts to little more than a glorified receptionist. I kept waiting for her to Do Something Important; my wait, alas, was in vain. And really, most of the Conspiracy bits revolving around Conklin and the stationary CIA agents, distracted from the more interesting Action bits with Bourne, Marie, and their various chasers. I kept wanting Conklin & Crew to get out of the way so the movie could, literally, cut to the chase.
Damon carries this film, with Potente making an able sounding board to play against (though I grimaced when what was probably the inevitable Warm Place To Put It moment, came about. Surely, I'm not the only one who saw that scene and wondered "huh?" Talk about your zero chemistry...). There were times in this almost two-hour movie that I found myself barely keeping up with all of the information offered; but in the end, I was glad I stayed the course. Its weaknesses aside, THE BOURNE IDENTITY makes for a good Summer action flick. Even if you have to watch it twice, to catch it all.

BAMMER'S BOTTOM LINE
It appears that I've underestimated young Mr. Damon. He's a real badass after all.

    THE BOURNE IDENTITY rating: greenlight

Rose "Bams" Cooper
Webchick and Editor,
3BlackChicks Review
Entertainment Reviews With Flava!
Copyright Rose Cooper, 2002
EMAIL: bams@3blackchicks.com
http://www.3blackchicks.com/

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