The Bourne Identity
Watched the above flick with my folks tonight. I had read all the reviews back when it was first released in theaters, where it kind of got lost in all the Spider-Man/Star Wars/Minority Report haze. The reviews basically said that it was a stylish, well-directed action spy thriller, and I'd have to concur - it's a solid film, entertaining, and you don't regret spending 2 hours of your life watching it.
The story, based on a novel by Robert Ludlum, centers around Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, who finds himself at the beginning of the movie floating in the Mediterranean Sea. When he comes to, he has no memory of who he is, but finds out through a series of encounters that he speaks multiple languages, can memorize license plates and analyze dangerous situations in an eyeblink, and of course, can beat up just about anybody. Apparently in the novel, the reader doesn't know whether Bourne is a good guy or bad guy - is he a spy? a terrorist? an assassin? - and thus goes on the same emotional highs and lows that the protagonist feels as he discovers things about his past. In the movie, they clear this up pretty quick by showing that the CIA, which apparently sent Bourne on a mission that was failed, now wants to clean up the mess by killing him. So he doesn't know who he is, and there are trained agents out to kill him. He enlists the help of a woman (played by the Run Lola Run actress) named Marie who drives and accompanies him throughout various European locales, deciphering clues and dodging CIA assassins.
Overall, this was an enjoyable flick. While my friend Maria, who read the book, said that Matt Damon wasn't well cast as Bourne b/c the book has the title character as a middle-aged man, I thought Damon did a credible job as a smart and lethal agent. Unlike Bond, Bourne rarely uses guns and doesn't employ many gadgets and tricks to get the job done. Several times through the movie, you see him analyze a situation, come up with a plan on the spot, and execute a series of tactics to accomplish his objective that make you go, "That was pretty slick." There's my overall review of the movie: slick. In some ways, the movie reminde me of Minority Report, because both protagonists essentially are trying to solve a mystery about themselves, and they tend to rely more on brains than on Bond-like gadgets and big explosions. Put it this way - my mom enjoyed the movie.
Oh, and the hand-to-hand fight scenes were extremely believable. According to reviews, Damon took martial arts training for this role, and he looks very believable in his scenes. Plus, the combat looks the way that spies would fight - not very fancy a la Jet Li, but instead a lot of elbows, kneeing, joint locking, and general "gutter fighting." Pretty cool.
There really weren't many memorable scenes that stood on their own, so I won't be doing my patented "invisible ink" list of cool movie moments. On a side note, apparently one of the assassins gunning for Bourne in this movie (Clive Owen) is rumored to be the next James Bond after Brosnan steps down.
Watched the above flick with my folks tonight. I had read all the reviews back when it was first released in theaters, where it kind of got lost in all the Spider-Man/Star Wars/Minority Report haze. The reviews basically said that it was a stylish, well-directed action spy thriller, and I'd have to concur - it's a solid film, entertaining, and you don't regret spending 2 hours of your life watching it.
The story, based on a novel by Robert Ludlum, centers around Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, who finds himself at the beginning of the movie floating in the Mediterranean Sea. When he comes to, he has no memory of who he is, but finds out through a series of encounters that he speaks multiple languages, can memorize license plates and analyze dangerous situations in an eyeblink, and of course, can beat up just about anybody. Apparently in the novel, the reader doesn't know whether Bourne is a good guy or bad guy - is he a spy? a terrorist? an assassin? - and thus goes on the same emotional highs and lows that the protagonist feels as he discovers things about his past. In the movie, they clear this up pretty quick by showing that the CIA, which apparently sent Bourne on a mission that was failed, now wants to clean up the mess by killing him. So he doesn't know who he is, and there are trained agents out to kill him. He enlists the help of a woman (played by the Run Lola Run actress) named Marie who drives and accompanies him throughout various European locales, deciphering clues and dodging CIA assassins.
Overall, this was an enjoyable flick. While my friend Maria, who read the book, said that Matt Damon wasn't well cast as Bourne b/c the book has the title character as a middle-aged man, I thought Damon did a credible job as a smart and lethal agent. Unlike Bond, Bourne rarely uses guns and doesn't employ many gadgets and tricks to get the job done. Several times through the movie, you see him analyze a situation, come up with a plan on the spot, and execute a series of tactics to accomplish his objective that make you go, "That was pretty slick." There's my overall review of the movie: slick. In some ways, the movie reminde me of Minority Report, because both protagonists essentially are trying to solve a mystery about themselves, and they tend to rely more on brains than on Bond-like gadgets and big explosions. Put it this way - my mom enjoyed the movie.
Oh, and the hand-to-hand fight scenes were extremely believable. According to reviews, Damon took martial arts training for this role, and he looks very believable in his scenes. Plus, the combat looks the way that spies would fight - not very fancy a la Jet Li, but instead a lot of elbows, kneeing, joint locking, and general "gutter fighting." Pretty cool.
There really weren't many memorable scenes that stood on their own, so I won't be doing my patented "invisible ink" list of cool movie moments. On a side note, apparently one of the assassins gunning for Bourne in this movie (Clive Owen) is rumored to be the next James Bond after Brosnan steps down.
posted by Bob at
12:32 AM
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