The Bourne Identity

Matt Damon (Jason Bourne)	Franka Potente (Marie)
Julia Stiles (Nicole)	Chris Cooper (Conklin)
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Wombosi, African Dictator)
Directed by: Doug Liman
Written by: Tony Gilroy and William Blake Herron
Based upon: “The Bourne Identity” by Robert Ludlum

An unconscious person (Matt Damon) is rescued from the rough waters of the Mediterranean by a fishing vessel. He has bullet holes in his body and is treated by a doctor on the vessel. He has no memory of what happened to him and who he is. A chip that has the number of an account in a Swiss bank is found implanted in his body by the doctor. The chip also tells him that his name is Jason Bourne. After a few days, Bourne leaves for Zurich and goes to the bank and after being identified (hand prints), he is handed the locker.

He is surprised to find multiple passports, several hundred thousand dollars and a gun in the locker. The American Passport is kept right on top and he begins by assuming he is Jason Bourne based on that. Apparently, he has an apartment in Paris. He goes to the American Consulate to find out more when he realizes he is about to be arrested by the security. He escapes from the consulate. When he goes out he sees the girl Marie (Franka Potente), who was arguing with the consulate personnel. She is German drifter and has been forced to lead a vagabond kind of existence. He offers her 20,000 dollars for a ride to Paris. After an initial hesitation, she accepts and takes him to his apartment in Paris.

They go through many escapades before he realizes he is a killer and was assigned to kill a former dictator in Africa (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). The CIA now wants to take him out because he failed and the dictator has threatened the CIA with exposure if they do not restore him to his dictatorship (he was propped by the CIA in the first place). Eventually, Jason Bourne recollects who he is and manages to escape and reunite with Marie.

It is very very rare to see a movie that has a flawless script. “The Bourne Identity” has such a tight script that you are sitting with your eyes glued to the screen, hypnotized by the action on it. You cannot find a flaw with it. Sure, it was based on one of the finest spy novels of all time, written by one of the finest authors of spy fiction, Robert Ludlum. But many movies based on good stories have been totally messed by scriptwriters. Not this movie.

This is a pulsating, no-nonsense movie. There are hardly any one-liners and you don’t even realize that. It is two hours of non-stop excitement. At the end you look at your watch and say, “damn!, it’s over”, and not, “damn, when is it getting over?” Continuous suspense and tension keep you waiting for the next frame. Some of the sequences are very memorable indeed.

Matt Damon (Jason Bourne) has reveled in this movie. He lives the role of Jason Bourne who is struggling to find his past, lost due to an almost fatal shooting. His memory keeps coming back based on events. Like, when he is sleeping in the park and is woken up for questioning and eventual arrest by two cops, he automatically goes into an offensive and floors the two cops in a few seconds. Or, each time he has to speak a new European language, he just does it effortlessly and then is surprised by it. His reactions are very realistic. Matt Damon has proved in this movie that he can be one of the best action stars too. More than many others because he is also a very fine actor.

The direction is very slick and Limon does not lose sight of the fact that he is working from a very well known book and sticks to the original plot as much as he can and does justice to a superb script.

Franka Potente as Marie has performed effortlessly too. She has had ample scope and has grabbed the opportunity fiercely. First, she is surprised at the offer of 20,000 dollars just for a ride to Paris. Somehow, she places her trust in the stranger who looks honest and is very handsome too. Then she realizes that he is a killer and wants to move away from him and is surprised when Bourne himself asks her to do that. She exhibits just the right emotions and right expressions. No hyperbole, no theatrics, no over dramatizing.

Chris Cooper as the CIA director has done a very creditable job and his desperation is very obvious as he realizes that Bourne, a thirty million dollar killing machine created by the CIA is not an easy target and keeps escaping.

Julia Stiles (Nicolette), the highly talented actress (”Bring It On”), has hardly a role in it, but it does not really matter much.

The background score (by John Powell) is tightly controlled and you hardly realize how effective it is throughout the movie.

Overall, the best movie of the year so far and certainly the best spy thriller in a long long time. If more such spy thrillers are produced, James Bond will be a memory.