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Summary: the bourne identity
Review: I love this movie its so quiet you can hear your heart pounding and I was relieved to see that they abstained from the long drawn out graphic love sceens I am starting on the book and I cant wait for the sequel!
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Summary: Proof It Can Be Done
Review: "The Bourne Identity", proves that the people involved with taking a novel to the screen can do so without destroying the original story. The crew that put this film in theaters recognized that this first story in the, "Bourne", trilogy was an excellent piece of writing. This was a tale that could be placed on the confines of the screen and still work very well. They also had the confidence, and lacked the ego to either tinker with, or make what they believed were needed, "improvements". The studio also deserves more credit than his publishers for they acknowledged that Mr. Ludlum died in March of 2001 and instead of pretending he did not, the movie was made in memory of him.Unlike the rubbish (other spy films) that preceded this film to the theaters this summer this is a film that demonstrates Matt Damon can carry a film unlike his one-dimensional friend Ben Affleck. Tom Clancy's novel was butchered by the time it reached the screen, and in fairness to Affleck that is not his fault. Both authors tend to write long intricate tales that could never be compressed in to a 2-hour film. It is possible to remain faithful to the story and Bourne was as successful at doing so as Fears was miserable. "Bad Company", set a new low for the genre. Co-star Franka Potente was also excellent and essential to the film's success, and there are a host of other familiar faces that all added to the experience as well. The film was also notable for what it left out. Ever since, "The Matrix", developed a whole new fighting style (that is purely science fiction) every manner of movie has aped this style to it's own detriment. Matt Damon evidently spent some 5 months training for the film, and it shows. The fighting and weapons he uses seem to be natural movements for him, and did not require that he be suspended from wires that were later digitally removed. There was updating of technology, which is reasonable given the age of the book. There was a great car/motorcycle chase that involves the unlikeliest of cars, but it was staged and directed very well and should earn a place on the list of classic chase scenes. If you like the work of the late Mr. Ludlum, this film will not disappoint you. If you never heard of the author, you still will spend an entertaining couple of hours in the theater. Mr. Ludlum wrote two other books, "The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum", that hopefully will see the inside of theaters with the success of this film.
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Summary: This guy could drop Bond like a ton of bricks
Review: Great fight scenes, awesome car chase, and good suspense. The plot is just complex enough that it is interesting, but not so complicated that you focus more on understanding what's going on then enjoying the movie. Great winter setting in europe, and another fantastic performance by Matt Damon.
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Summary: Great Movie!
Review: The perfect mix of suspense, action and humor...very surprised it was as good as it was. Big Matt Damon fan and this just sews it up even more.
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Summary: Damon is Bourne
Review: Doug Liman's "The Bourne Identity" is a snazzy, jazzily directed, edited and scored film about a rogue intelligence agent (not specifically identified but probably C.I.A) who is found floating in the sea, near death at the films beginning.
Bourne (Matt Damon) has a capsule inserted in his brain and 2 bullets in his back and has no idea who or what he is. It is Liman's job to trace Bourne's steps backwards as well as forwards in time as Bourne tries to answer the question, "Who Am I?" Matt Damon is the real revelation here as he has finally come into his own as an actor with this complex, multi-layered and conflicted portrayal of Bourne who is as physically as well as mentally acute: he is more acting than acted upon. Damon is no longer the street punk of "Good Will Hunting" but an adult with adult emotions and motivations. Franka Potente, so good in "Blow" as well as "Run Lola Run" plays the "girl" Bourne finds along the way and she also makes a forceful impression here.
"The Bourne Identity" is Doug Liman's step into the big time after his successes in independent films like "Go," and he does a terrific job of holding this huge enterprise together with style and relevance.
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Summary: this is very very loosely based on the book
Review: If you want to watch this movie thinking that it's based on the book - well don't. The names are somewhat correct but the characters are completely different and bland. The story is bland and not very entertaining at all. In fact there is **NO** mention of Carlos ( the jackal ) who was the 2nd most important character in the book. Instead he's been replaced by some vague African ex-dictator. Marie's ( bourne's girlfriend ) character - who is an economist in the book has been made into some sort of
out of work , aimlessly wandering Amercian tourist.
The scenes in Rome , Zurich etc. are well shot though.
And finally - the ending was incredibly lame.
In short - don't waste your money if you've read the book - if you haven't and don't mind wasting money - go ahead and watch this flick.
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Summary: The Bourne Identity is among the best of its genre
Review: Director Doug Liman deserves an academy award nomination for The Bourne Identity. Alas, it will probably not happen because this stupendous film is not perceived as "serious" by the Hollywood snob elite. Liman is a master of creating breath taking camera shots. His talent is similar in this regard to the late Stanley
Kubrick. The choreographed fighting scenes and highlights of Europe compel your rapt attention. You will not be tempted to move your eyes away from the screen even for a split second. I have no idea if the film version is loyal to Robert Ludlum's novel, but this current interpretation is mind boggling effective and beautifully written. The only thing required of the viewer is to suspend one's logical faculties. This is not an intellectual Ipcress File or The Spy who Came in From the Cold. Think James Bond with a dash of Our Man Flint, and allow yourself to be swept away by super spy and assassin, Jason Bourne. Matt Damon surprisingly succeeds as Bourne in this non stop escapist spy thriller. He easily steps into the role of a CIA controlled agent who has lost his memory. Why does he have couple of bullet holes in his back? The lethal talents remain, but is he a good or evil man? People are trying to either capture or murder him. One thing leads to another, and our protagonist finds out that he might be a Jason Bourne who resides in Paris. He also runs into Marie (Franka Potente) who helps Bourne escape from one especially threatening predicament. And yes, there is the required chemistry exuded by the two lovers during their adventures together. We learn that a CIA boss (Chris Cooper) relentlessly pursues Bourne to save his own skin. Bourne failed to successfully carry out a mission and almost certainly will prove to be an embarrassment, if not even a career destroyer of his bosses. There is never a dull moment in The Bourne Identify. The remaining cast selection is near perfect. Damon's youth virtually guarantees that he will be in many more action films. Another actor who will compete with Damon for these sort of movie scripts is British actor Clive Owen. Thus, it is only appropriate that Owen shares a few scenes as Bourne's cohort who is now assigned to eliminate him. Lastly, I predict that a sequel will be made of The Bourne Identity. This property will be too hot not to do so.
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Summary: Which part of this screenplay is based on the book?
Review: Action was great. Bad guys were funny. Like zombies from a bad chinese ghost film. They rise up after being knocked down with their whole body straight. (imagine the lines as being the body: "_" (fallen) -> "/" (rising) -> "|" (up)) I found it humorous that they had Clive Owen play another assassin with his vehicle of choice being, naturally, a BMW. I didn't expect Julia Stiles to play such a minor role as the Paris liaison. I found that the screenplay varies from the book in almost all the aspects, from beginning to end. In the novel:
* There is a rivalry between Bourne and Carlos (another master assassin, aka the Jackal).
* The novel is set up to segue into the sequel with the introduction of Mo Povic (a shrink, and eventually family friend).
* Marie is raped in the novel and rescued by Bourne, thus engendering and solidifying their relationship. (Much more exciting in the novel, Bourne actually kidnaps Marie. She finally gets a chance to escape and turns him over to bad people. But she gets into trouble and Bourne rescues her. Romantic, huh?)
* Bourne takes months to recover after being fished out of the ocean.
* Marie's a really smart American financial analyst. In the movie:
* Marie plays a nomadic hippie, if you will. She's out of cash, doesn't have a place to go. She's got nothing to do. There's absolutely no reason for her to stay with Bourne if not for his red bag full of cash. Yet she does.
* Bourne doesn't repay the ship crewman (it wasn't even explained in the film that he's supposed to be a doctor who nurses him back to health and helps him try to recover his memory).
* Bourne recovers from his injuries in about 2 weeks.
* Marie is clearly German (swears in German too). The movies strong points are the action scenes where we see Damon's training put to good use. In an interview with Jay Leno, Damon explains how he trained for months on a vicious Filipino martial arts style. It looks great and brutal on screen. As for his acting, his sudden fits of anger seem affected (to the point of being soapish - e.g. he says something in anger and tosses his head to one side for effect). The writers also try to inject humor into Damon's character but it doesn't always work. It comes off as incongruous to someone who has lost all memory of himself. I love Franka Potente in Run, Lola, Run (one of my favorite films). In this film, however, she's lackluster and her presence isn't important. She clearly trusts Bourne from the beginning (though she's not supposed to). I guess I had the expectation that this film would be super-"cool". It wasn't, but was nonetheless enjoyable as an action film. I would recommend reading the book if anything I said above interests you. LEAP rating (each out of 5):
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L (Language) - 3.5 (bourne comes off sounding dorky, characters aren't well evolved)
E (Erotica) - 0.5 (n/much - Potente is capable of more, but not in this film.)
A (Action) - 4.5 (nice hand combat scenes, decent car chase scene)
P (Plot) - 3 (screenplay is an oversimplification of the novel)
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Summary: Perfect Summer Movie
Review: I've not read any of the Ludlum books, and my husband and I went to this movie as a compromise. However, we both walked away thinking it was one of the most completely enjoyable movies we've seen in quite a while. It's mystery, suspense, thriller, action, sexual tension, and great scenery all rolled into one. The more we talked about it, the more we realized how much we liked everything about this movie. The casting was magnificent, from Damon and Potente as the magnetic leads, to Clive Owen as another agent, to Julia Stiles as an insider support. The stunts and action were great: not gratuitous, not so totally unbelievable either. The car chase scene (in a Mini!) in Paris alone is worth the admission.
One last thought: Matt Damon, can you come cut my hair??!! (ladies, if you've seen this movie you'll understand!)
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Summary: Excellent!
Review: I saw this on Sat and it was great. The action was not overdone like in some other movies. All the action was hands on and you can really believe that Bourne has all these skills. This is what I considered a "smart" action film. The director didn't waste the majority of screen time blowing things up. It was more focused on the story of Jason Bourne and the action is secondary. I think Matt Damon and Franka Potente did an excellent job with this movie. They were able to potray emotions and feelings without actually having to use an excessive amount of dialog. It is all there with the facial expressions and the body language. Matt Damon is progressing nicely into a sexy leading man. Highly recommended and well worth your time. Absolute favorite scene? Bourne washing Marie's hair. Enough said.
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