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The Bourne Identity (Full Screen Collector's Edition)

The Bourne Identity (Full Screen Collector's Edition)

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Edgy with a Euro-feel - but average
Review:
Essentially, Matt Damon is an assasin with amnesia trying to piece together his life and avoid being killed by a cadre of CIA thugs. Franka Potente (Run Lola Run) is the girl who hooks up with him (and stays with him for no apparent reason).

The movie has that edgy, Mission Impossible, euro-feel to it but is very short on explanation and plausibility (Assasins are out to get them at every turn so Damon cuts Potente's hair so they won't be recognized, and yet never so much as wears a cap to disguise himself).

Nothing in this movie (acting, chemistry, plot) rises above the routine. It's as if everyone involved in the movie agreed to sleep-walk through it knowing that based on the name and the actors it would do okay. And it is "okay" for a renter, but not much more than that.

If you want a "Borne Identity" knockoff, with a better hook, better acting, chemistry, action and story then see "The Long Kiss Goodnight" with Geena Davis.



Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Speed rush
Review: a thrill-a-second spy movie with some of the best fight scenes and car chases around. Matt Damon and his brilliant co-star from Run Lola Run are spectacular in their performances. The story is at least half-way believable and the action keeps you gripped from start to finish.

Highly entertaining film!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A VERY loose adaptation of the book...
Review: For the most part, this is a pretty straight-forward action film. While it has a different setting and different stars than what we're used to seeing, it has the standard car chases, fistfights and gun battles that we're used to seeing in this kind of movie. Damon was good, as was Franka Potente, but there was really nothing to set this film apart from any other.

The thing that drove me nuts about this movie was that with the exception of the title and the Character names, there was very little in common with the book. Bourne's whole reason for existing was deleted from the movie, and his true identity was remarkably reshaped.

Not bad, but not terribly different from most other films of this genre.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent, Intelligent Thriller
Review: I purchased this DVD just off of want I had heard about it. I must say that this movie does not disappoint. From the very beginning it locks you into this story of a CIA agent/assasin (Matt Damon) by the name of Jason Bourne. Bourne has no memory of his name, history, or profession. He was floating in the ocean with two holes in his back when group of men found him. He was thought to be dead by his superiors. As the story unfolds, he befriends a German traveler (Franka Potenta) who helps him in his quest to discover his identity. I will say that the action scenes in this movie are spectacular from the fight scenes to the car chases. The use of martial arts within the movie were pretty impressive and exhilirating to watch. Jason Bourne, while trying to find his identity, had to fight off attempts by his boss (Chris Cooper) to kill him and cover up his "failed mission".The use of technology in this movie is just superb. The computer gadgetry was top-notch. Bourne had a bank account implanted into his hip. Even once during the movie they were sitting in a cafe and he surveyed the place and gave feedback to Marie (Potente) within minutes. Even stating that two waitresses were left-handed and the best place to find a gun was in the cab of the truck outside. All of this and he still didn't know who he was. The action takes you from Switzerland to Paris and is a thrill-ride throughout. This movie just never loses you from the word "Go". The action is non-stop and Matt Damon does an excellent job of acting out the personality of Bourne with passion and convincibility-if I can say that. He looked like he could have boyish-charm, but deep inside he was a "30 million dollar" killing machine.I feel that Doug Liman did an awesome job in developing the story and the characters. It doesn't hurt that he had some great actors too. I think that Franka Potente is an up-and-coming star in the making. She's already got me saying "shizer!". Job well done!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: BOURNE IDENTITY - MUST HAVE!!
Review: I had no desire to see this when it played at the theatre, even though reviews had been impressive. Rented it and realized this is great. Lots of energy, some incredible scenes, definitely a DVD to add to your library. One minor item...Damon's character is not clearly defined in terms of his capabilities and physical development/makeup. He does AMAZING things.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Enthralling
Review: The Bourne Identity is tightly crafted, gripping action-thriller with elements of espionage and fugitive films thrown in. Despite its rather far-flung and somewhat murky plot, it delivers many thrills with intense and exciting action sequences.

The movie opens with Matt Damon's character floating unconscious in the Mediterranean Sea in the middle of the night. He is rescued from the water by a passing fishing vessel. The boat captain, who inexplicably owns a set of surgical tools, finds two bullets lodged in his back and a laser device implanted in his hip. When activated, the laser reveals a Swiss bank account number. However, he has no knowledge of who he is and no memory of how he got there.

Upon reaching land, he takes a train to Zurich and accesses the safe-deposit box which, to his surprise, contains a stash of various currencies, several passports with his picture but different aliases, and a handgun. He discovers that his name is Jason Bourne and that he maintains a residence in Paris. Despite his amnesia, Bourne finds that he possesses superb martial arts skills and many uncanny abilities that would put 007 to shame. Suddenly pursued by the authority, Jason convinces a distraught young woman named Marie to drive him to Paris for a ridiculous sum of money. Marie becomes his reluctant companion after she discovers that her name and picture had become inexplicably linked to him. Together they desperately race to discover his identity while evading mysterious and deadly assassins who hound their tracks. Somehow the key to his mystery is a flamboyant African leader in exile who publicly maintains that he's the target of assassination attempts by the CIA.

Throug most of the movie we witness events as they unfold from Bourne's perspective. From time to time we see glimpses of Bourne's former superiors who try to track him down with high-tech surveillance and spy gadgets. Bourne, in the words of his former boss, is a "malfunctioning 30-million-dollar weapon". He is deadly armed and unarmed, speaks several languages, has superb observation skills and drives a car like a stuntman. However, unlike Bond, his primary role is assassination; he and others like him operate anonymously and without glamor or glory. He doesn't get to save the world; he's just trying to survive. In this day and age, the notion that such superagents exist and are employed by none other than the CIA is intriguing if rather far-fetched.

Matt Damon delivers a subdued performance and is credible in the title role, even though his boyish look belies somewhat his role as a professional killer. Sometimes he appears lost and confused, sometimes he has a dangerous streak, but at all times he exudes cool-headedness and control. He effectively conveys compassion hidden beneath a deadly facade. Franka Potente, in her big-budget debut, is great as the love interest. I've liked her ever since Run Lola Run. Besides being attractive, she has an appealing mix of innocence and edginess to her. As Bourne's former boss, Chris Cooper seems to have nailed down the role of a cocky, authoritative military figure that he portrayed in American Beauty.

The cinematography is excellent. The European locations, primarily Paris, are gorgeous. The actions are fast and furious. In particular, the car chase through the narrow, crowded, maze-like streets of Paris is the most viscerally exciting in recent memory. What's the fun of a car chase if it takes place over straight, wide boulevards with no traffic! No, Paris is the perfect location, with its ancient cobblestoned streets and stately brick buildings; one gets a sort of guilty pleasure at such recklessness and mayhem. There are no eye-popping pyrotechnics or stunt cars flying through the air. Instead, what you get is furious, gut-wrenching twists and turns. They were driving a Mini, and you can almost feel every jaw-rattling bump and jar. In the end, you don't see a car flipping over in slow motion; instead, the fugitives scoot down a tunnel, switch off the engine, and let out a breath. When they do, so would the audience.

The martial art sequences are exciting and highly stylized, with judicious use of fast- and slow-motion. They almost remind me of The Matrix, but then again practically everything resembles The Matrix nowadays. The climactic gun battle features an very cool stunt, one that would take the audience by surprise as much as it does the nemesis.

If you're looking for non-stop, adrenaline-charged thrills, this one won't disappoint.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: pretty good
Review: the reason i didn't give it ***** is because the beginning was slow paced. i liked it otherwise and would reccomend it. it's confusing , cool , and fun.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Horrible
Review: If I could give this movie 0 stars, I would. This movie was the surprise movie at the Edinburgh Film Festival. I could not believe how awful this movie was. Apparently everyone that made the movie felt the same, as not one person from the film showed up to support it. One "action" filled part had me and 5 or 6 people around us laughing embarassing loud. This movie is a complete joke. It ranks as possibly one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Bad acting, see-through plot, horrible directing. Just all around bad.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Old Genre, Still Good
Review: This is certainly an old genre, but the movie turns out good. Although somewhat predictable, it has a much more realistic angle that most films of this type forget. We have a talented professional who forgets it all, which would be a blessing to many in the field, but who shows that what most of us really want (besides freedom) is to know ourselves and to be loved. This film provides both and does it at a good pace.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Is it just me?
Review: I applaud Matt Damon for his writing abilities and The Talented Mr. Ripley was cool too but I'm not sure he's quote an action hero guy. I actually thought he was the best in Ocean's Eleven, a film I didn't love but he's not quote right for the part here.


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