Rating: Summary: Surprisingly good heart Review: Here's the film "Mission Impossible 2" wishes it could have been. It's the story of a near-corpse who is rescued floating in the ocean and can remember everything but who he is, what he does with his life, and how he got there.Yeah, the amnesia angle certainly has a bad rep, but the stylish film keeps the action rolling and makes it work. Unlike MI2, there's no rock-video posing, no plot holes the size of Hummers, and no escapes from sticky situations that would make 007 blush. It all fits. And ultimately the mystery is solved for us all, of course, in a legit fashion that shows this action spy flick to have a surprisingly good heart. The endings (both of them) seemed a bit too cutesy for me, and in two or three places the pacing of the film seems like the editing was done with the theory "Let's cut to some action so they can't think about what a stretch that bit of business was," but all in all this is certainly one of the better films of its genre in recent memory.
Rating: Summary: Fantastic, terrific Review: It's a great movie...There is not a boring seconde.Matt D and the other actors are very good, the FX are terrific and the story is 100% action but quite smart.Nothing negative.If you like suspense, it's the movie u need.
Rating: Summary: Not bad for a Story that is 28 years old. Review: Amazing that a Sory line that Started in 1975, could become such a good movie 28 years later. Especially when the Lead Character Matt Damon (Jason Bourne) was only 5 years old, when Robert Ludlem first saw his book hitting the shelves. Even I can remember the book sitting on my Gradparents Coffee Table when I was a child. Especially when My Grandfathers Lastname is infact.."BOURNE"......how Ironic. I rate this movie a strong Thumbs Up.......and would love to see the Other two books become sequals to the First.!!
Rating: Summary: Great Movie Review: Lots of action. Pretty good acting. Nice locations. (Prague, Czech Republic. Paris, France.) Fun car chases. DVD extras. Audio Commentary - 1. Matt Damon - Star, Doug Liman - Director Making-of - 1. THE MAKING OF THE BOURNE IDENTITY
Rating: Summary: Disgusting. Review: When I first watched this movie, I had not read the book (an excellent story by Robert Ludlum). I could not figure out what was going on. The movie seemed to be a lot of this guy (Matt Damon, who does not belong in this role, I'm sorry) running around and making out with this girl. There was no dicernable plot, no recognizable conclusion. Then I read the book, and was horrified. I have truly never seen a worse butchering of a book by a movie, except perhaps Girl, Interrupted. Not only were the characters distorted and flattened and the plot garbled and spliced, the most important character was left out ENTIRELY. Read the book instead. If you haven't read it, you will wonder what the heck is going on. If you've already read the book, you will want to hit your head on large amounts of concrete. Don't watch this movie.
Rating: Summary: Can't compete with the real thing Review: First, the good news. Matt Damon makes a great Bourne, even better than Richard Chamberlain, who I really liked in the prior version. The bad news is the departures from the book. I suppose I could get past the stock "CIA-assassination-team" theme, but what I can't get over is the way they turned Bourne from a good guy who lost his memory into a bad guy who lost his memory. Ludlum was executive producer, so there's no excuse. Shame on them for doing that. Actually, shame on them for underutilizing Julia Stiles too.
Rating: Summary: Big Splash Review: In the commentary on the DVD, Matt Damon admits that this production's intention was to make a gripping film, not one that is faithful to the book. Director Doug Liman who did "Swingers" in 1996 & "Go" in 1999 accomplishes that with flying colors. Tony Gilroy who was the screenwriter for "Devil's Advocate" and "Dolores Claiborne" works with W. Blake Herron to produce a screenplay that takes Ludlum's novel as a starting point. The film is fast paced, moves quickly, is gorgeously photographed on location in Prague and Paris, and is a handsome DVD package to add to your collection. Matt Damon as Jason Bourne surprises us with his action ability while showing the perplexity of someone suffering from amnesia, thrown in an ever-changing situation where his past literally threatens his every moment. Chris Cooper who just won the best supporting actor Oscar for "Adaptation" and has played increasingly interesting roles in "Horse Whisperer," "October Sky," & "American Beauty," does an excellent job as the manager of a secret program called Treadstone that networks assassins worldwide. He becomes increasingly agitated until his assassination clears the way for Jason's ultimate freedom. Franka Potente who played Johnny Depp's girlfriend in "Blow" and is a major German filmstar does a great job as the gypsy-like Maria who is enlisted by Bourne and becomes his willing accomplice. Clive Owen who was so noticeable in "Gosford Park" doesn't have a lot of lines, but has one of the film's most memorable moments in his death scene in the wheatfield. Julia Stiles isn't asked to do much, but is interesting in her supporting role as Nicolette who runs Treadstone's Paris office. This is a film like a roller coaster. The DVD's deleted scenes are interesting with the one with the psychologist being one I felt could have easily added to the film. The alternate ending lead me to believe the director picked the right one, but was interesting to view. I never was absolutely clear on why the agency insisted on Bourne's assassination. This is a great rainy-day film that I'm pleased to have in my collection. Enjoy!
Rating: Summary: The Bourne Identity Review: This movie was a constant brain stimulator. You were along for the ride trying to find out who he was and who was enemy and who was friend. Matt Damon has the talent to carry this remake of the old movie. After seeing the movie I had to go home and dig out the book for a reread. the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole movie.
Rating: Summary: The Bourne Identity Review: In the vein of "keep-you-guessing" movies like the excellent MEMENTO, THE BOURNE IDENTITY is an exciting movie with enough fast-paced action to sustain audiences during the action movie madness that is Hollywood. The film rests largely on Matt Damon's shoulders and thankfully he has enough acting chops to make you believe the character. The compelling story lends itself well to a film, which, while not completly an out-and-out action thriller, contains some fantastically contrived set-pieces, like the exciting car chase and the final showdown where Bourne finds the answers to the thorny problem of who he actually is. One of the few brainy action films of late, THE BOURNE IDENTITY is one exciting ride.
Rating: Summary: Best Action Movie Ever Review: A friend and I watched the Bourne Identity on a fluke. We were on our way back from dinner and decided last minute to stop and rent a movie and this was the first one to catch our eyes. It was about 20 minutes into the film that we realized this was going to be an awesome movie. There were so many cool action scenes. It is an "edge of your seat" spy thriller about a government agent who is pulled out of the ocean with two bullet holes in his back and turns out to have amnesia and cannot remember who he is. However, a bunch of natural instincts start coming to him, like when two cops confront him and he beats both of them up in like 3 seconds flat. This movie has so many awesome action scenes. There is even a car chase with a Mini Cooper. The story was a little confusing and I still do not understand many parts of it, but the movie was so great that I really do not care. I figure I will watch it again many more times and eventually figure out all that was going on.
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