The Bourne Identity film review

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THE BOURNE IDENTITY

In Jason Bourne the movies have a fascinating new anti-hero. Portrayed definitively by Matt Damon, Bourne, the cool and methodical star of author Robert Ludlum's trilogy, is a worthy addition to the list of memorable screen assassins. After a turbulent production, which began without a completed script, the knives were being sharpened in anticipation of the film's failure, but whatever problems existed in its making weren't in evidence on screen. The Bourne Identity is a hugely entertaining and absorbing action thriller. It is possessed of a rare intelligence, style and irreverent wit that places it head and shoulders above its laboured and clichéd counterparts.

Director Doug Liman has infused the traditionally formulaic genre with the offbeat sensibility he brought to Swingers and Go. The film's innovative car chase (a worthy homage to The Italian Job) and fight sequences are greeted with cheers and laughter rather than the yawns prompted by the majority of such familiar scenes. The Bourne Identity operates within its own world, barely intersecting with conventional life. Even its characters provide little in the way of a link, revealing almost nothing about themselves. This vacuum serves the film well, helping to sustain its enigmatic quality.

The mystery begins when Bourne is found floating in rough seas by the crew of an Italian fishing boat. He has two bullets in his back, an electronic device containing the number of a Swiss safe deposit box sewn into his skin, and absolutely no idea who he is or how he got there. His confusion mounts when he opens the deposit box to find six passports from different countries all bearing his photograph, but with different identities. With no recollection of anything before his being rescued, Bourne sets about trying to piece together the puzzle of his life.