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The Bourne Identity (Widescreen Collector's Edition)

The Bourne Identity (Widescreen Collector's Edition)

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: B.ID BETTER IF SHORTENED.
Review: THIS MOVIE TELLS THE STORY OF A AGENT WHO WORKS FOR A FRACTION OF THE GOVERMENT THAT IS MADE SOLY FOR TEST PROGRAMS.
M.DAMON -IS THAT AGENT BUT HE DOESNOT KNOW IT -STARTS OUT WITH HIM WAKING UP ON A FISHING BOAT ,WITH KNOWLDGE OF EVERYTHING BUT HISNAME. TWO WEEKS LATTER ON SHORE HE BEGINS TOO TRY AND PEICE HIS LIFE TOGETHER:VIA ITEMS ON HIS PERSON &HELP FROM A WOMAN HE HITCHES A RIDE WITH FOR ONLY $20,000.HE LEARNS HE WORKS FOR A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NOW TRING TOO KILL HIM BECAUSE HE FAILED IN HIS LATEST ASSENIMENT.THE MOVIE IT SELF IS GOOD FOR THE FIRST 1.15MINUTES THEN BEGAIN TOO DRAG INTO A UNSUPRISING ENDING.UNFORTUNETLLY I BEGAN TOO WINKOUT ON THIS ONE NEAT THE END.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Damon is Bourne
Review: The more I see of Matt Damon, the more I'm impressed by his versatility. There's a lot of complexity behind that innocent face and he brings more of it to this movie.
Be forewarned that there is a fair amount of physical and weapons violence and some of it is close-up. Much of the fighting is tightly shot and intercut, which likely made the fight training for Damon a bit easier. He is believable, IMO, in the action sequences.
I really liked Franka Potente as Damon's unwitting partner and erstwhile love interest. There was a moment of chemistry between them early in the film which was not built on and, later, the interaction between them, romantically, seemed cliche'.....nothing against their acting skill; I just thought the timing was wrong. I am going to pick up Franka's recent film "Run Lola Run" to see more of this earthy German actress.
My only disappointment was in the character development of the goverment agents charged with eliminating Bourne as a threat...IMO, they came off as automatons, characters which I could develop no like or dislike for. One programmed agent, who Bourne was forced to kill when in the French countryside, showed the most humanity and gave me the most insight into the minds of these covert operatives. Their abilities appeared to be a bit over the top, but, hey, it's a movie *G*..

Overall, well worth the ticket price, either matinee or evening.....and I think I'll pick up Ludlum's book to see how it compares...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Nicely done
Review: We saw this movie last night and were very pleased with the experience. I am glad that I checked out these reviews as I am an avid Tom Clancy reader. We passed on the other spy flick that's out for this one. We had a little trouble with the timing of a D.C. to Paris flight and you better watch closely at the end for one of the quickest and only slightly believable special effects stunts in the movie. All in all a very good bit of entertainment.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: The only thing different is the plot
Review: First, let me say that I was really looking forward to this movie. "The Bourne Identity" is one of my favorite books and I thought that Matt Damon would make a perfect Jason Bourne.

Unfortunately, the writer and director decided that the original tightly written, intense and moving story would be better as a disjointed, confusing action movie.

I liked Matt Damon in this movie, I thought he made an excellent Jason Bourne, despite the writing.

I think that the cameramen and the director need to learn what a camera dolly is, and then learn how to use it. The movement of the camera, in addition to the movement of the characters, was unnecessary and unsettling. In order to watch the movie, I had to keep closing my eyes when the camera moved a lot. This is not entertaining. This is, IMO, arrogant behavior on the part of the director. The extreme camera movements are unneeded and unwanted on the part of most movie viewers.

Both of my sons (in their early 20's) thought that the action sequences were fantastic. I agree, but I also think that a movie needs a good plot, too.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Edge of my seat from start to finish
Review: The television promos and trailers didn't prepare me for this top notch thriller. Robert Ludlum's writings have always been among my favorites, but I usually think they translate poorly to the screen. Not in this case! Matt Damon is unmatchable in his performance, and the cinematography and score really emphasize everything perfectly. No exaggeration when I say I was spellbound and on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
This has oscar written all over it!!!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Rather disappointing
Review: If you haven't read the book this film is based on, you will probably enjoy the movie on its own; however, if you *have* read the book, and if you enjoyed it anywhere near as much as I did, you'll have some pretty serious issues with the film. I know, I know - not another "oh the book is SO much better" review. But even on its own merits, the film is just ... bad.

Despite the 2-hour length, this movie doesn't go into nearly enough depth with the plot to make it truly interesting; my boyfriend, who has not read the book, said that it was "OK," but that he felt the plot just skimmed along the surface. The dialogue is uninspired, and the acting only luke-warm. The Head Office scenes are almost laughable...as much as I love Chris Cooper, I really didn't care for him in this role at all.

I won't go off on a rant about the atrocious direction...suffice it to say that if you see this film, you'll become intimately familiar with every single pore on every single character's face. The director is *extremely* fond of the SUDDEN CLOSE-UP! Followed by yet another close-up, followed by another...it was painful.

The movie could have been so very much more than it was, and I honestly can't put my finger exactly on why it doesn't work - I feel it's just the sum of all the bad parts. But, if you like spy stories, pick up Ludlum's book - it's truly one of the cornerstones of the genre.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Low on Chemistry High on Entertainment
Review: Movie Review: Bourne Identity with Matt Damon

This movie is exciting and action packed. Like most big budget action films it is definitely entertaining. It is especially fun being set in Europe it gives the viewer the feeling of being swept away to another time and place. I have yet to locate my copy of the book and it has been so many years since I have read it that I can not comment on the accuracy of the book-to-movie translation. My feeling, however, is that a bit of the energy that made the book a real page turner was lost in it's movie format. Matt Damon lacks some of the larger-than-life, hero energy but does come across as a 'really nice guy'. There is little to no chemistry between Damon and his co-star and the viewer never really feels the desperation and loss such a situation might bring. While the timing of the movie in general seems a bit off, the action scenes are good and frequent so the overall film is very absorbing. As with most action films there are inconstancies and they seemed to have forgotten about the whole EU thing but the problems with the movie did not detract from it's entertainment value.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The bourne IdEntiTy
Review: One of thew best spy thrillers I've everm seen, really good plot with unbelievable action and good martial arts.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Amazing Movie!
Review: This movie is exellent, It doesn't give a second to get bored.
It's exciting and keeps you on your toes. I have seen it twice and would see it again and again!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Bourne Identity
Review: There was a point about half way through "The Bourne Identity" when I realized that the movie had no real plot --- but I was enjoying it anyway. Sometimes all you need is a good, solid lead, some nice action, and a well-kept pace in order to be entertained. Thankfully, the movie provides all of those attributes.

"The Bourne Identity" is about Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), who is found floating in offshore waters by some fisherman, taken aboard their boat, and then recovers from two weeks at sea and two gunshot wounds. The recovery is quick, and Bourne is soon back on land, attempting to find out who he is, all the while people are trying to kill him. And he manages to hitch himself with a European drifter girl named Marie (played by Franka Potente, of "Run Lola Run" fame).

Unfortunately for us, and the reason why I say that the movie has no real "plot", is that any possibility of mystery and intrigue is zapped out of the story by a few factors. 1: From the title alone, and then a passport seen relatively early on, *we* know Bourne's identity well before he does. 2: We also are clued-in to who is trying to kill him, long before he starts to get an idea, as the action cuts back and forth to his adversaries quite often. And 3: as we know who he is, what his job used to be, who his adversaries are, and what *they* are doing to try to catch him, the potential plot of "mystery" is completely removed. All we are left with is the possibility of suspense during some of the action scenes.

Ah, but do those fulfill the purpose admirably. Even though we either already know what's going, or can pretty easily guess, once the story leads us into one of its many action scenes, all bets are off. The suspense comes into focus. The tension arises. And the fighting (Matt Damon must have taken some professional lessons) is great to watch, if a tad bloody. There is one scene in particular in which Bourne outwits an assassin, and it simply teems with nervous excitement as to how he'll resolve the conflict.

"The Bourne Identity" may suffer from an overexposure of its more mysterious elements, but it stands up well under the wonderful talents of Matt Damon and Franka Potente. They have good chemistry, and the director is smart to keep a primary focus on them. The story moves along at a strong pace, and feels sure of itself. All in all, not bad, as techno spy thrillers go.


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