Rating: 
Summary: Matt Damon as always at his best!
Review: In the friendly feud between buddies Matt Damon and Ben Affleck we learn that quality certainly beats quantity. While Affleck seems to be getting into every mass produced piece of garbage under the sun Damon's selectiveness has seen him in some of the best films produced over the past few years. The Bourne Identity is quite a step away from Damon's typical emotionally charged films and puts him in a more action oriented role. He pulls it off convincingly. His character, Jason Bourne, is plagued with amnesia and upon awakening has no recollection of who he was. On his quest for answers he realizes he has certain talents that normal folks don't normally wield. Damon's ability to really get the viewer inside the characters head is great here because unlike normal action films you can really get into this one. Also his calm under pressure convinces you that this character was once something very feared. The plot itslef is decent. A nice conspiracy thriller with a few twists here and there. unfortunately the film doesn't hide the solution too well and if you pay close enough attention, and have seen enough thrillers, you can figure it out. The action scenes are well done and while not too ridiculous are well choreographed and Damon shows he really mastered the role. The supporting cast doesn't employ many big names and this is a good thing. The provide a great web of mystery as the plot unfolds and we even get to see Julia Stiles in an uncharacteristic role. If you enjoy action thrillers and liked Minority Report then this film is a definate must see for you.
Rating: 
Summary: The Bourne Identity
Review: Your precise states that this version was "freely" adapted from Robert Ludlum's original book. So it was! The very first scene of the movie was true, but the rest of the movie was false. This movie did not even compare with the excitement and suspense of the original story. Action? Car chases? Lip-sucking? Sure! All of the supposedly commercial Hollywood devices to lure folks to the theater. But none of the uniquely Ludlum twists and plot detours that I am used to. For those illiterates that wouldn't even pick up a book, have fun. For us who do bother with old fashioned books, It was a tremendous disappointment. I had intended upon ensuring that I would some day have the whole Bourne series. Now, don't bother. Ed.....
Rating:
Summary: Incredible, thrilling, fun, but very different from the book
Review: WOW, this movie was sooo great. I read all of the books and loved them all. I had heard mixed reviews about the movie, and I wasnt to sure if I even wanted so see the awesome book buchered, but ya know, K-Mart was having a sale so I got it for half price. I am so glad that I got it. My mom and I sat and watched it and were both shocked as to how good it was. Matt Damon does a hell of a job and leaves you wanting to see more. If you havent see this movie yet, do so as soon as you can, also pic up the book and get into that also.
Rating: 
Summary: A Bourne Franchise
Review: The Bourne Identity (2002) is one of this years most unusual action films, tossing aside all that is Matrix style action and going for a more old fashioned style director Doug Liman has found himself with a hit. The action style perfectly portrays the person that Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is supposed to be.After having been left for dead in the Mediterranean Sea, Jason Bourne has no idea what is name is, where he's from, or what he does. The only things he knows scare him and he must find out what he used to do before assassins kill him. With excellent plot twists, well choreographed action scenes (mostly done by Damon), good acting and an intriguing premise, the Bourne Identity is a movie that belongs in any action lover's collection. The only thing that really keeps the DVD from receiving a 5 out of 5 is the extras are less than great, deleted scenes have not been put together very well, and the extras are sparse in general. That said I can't recommend this film enough. Buy it now.
Rating:
Summary: **** Bourne To Run ****
Review: First off, when I first heard that they were making a movie version of Robert Ludlum's novel, I had mixed feelings. I had read and thoroughly enjoyed the book many years ago and knew that it had been adapted into a TV movie back in 1988, with Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith, although I have to confess that I never did get around to seeing it for fairly obvious reasons. So why the mixed feelings? Partly because, for a variety of reasons, movies rarely if ever live up to the novels on which they are based. Maybe this is because we have our own rigidly set perceptions of what the characters look like or because we are already familiar with the plot. Sometimes studios rewrite the plots of our favourite novels and the movie adaptation ends up being so dissimilar to the book that everything that was good about it has either been lost in the editing, or changed to the story's detriment. In the case of The Bourne Identity, the novel is a pretty substantial affair, full of plots and sub-plots, which would be pretty hard to cram into a mere 2 hours, without making significant changes. The Bourne Identity's script was reportedly written and re-written countless times. It took two years to shoot and, during this time, Matt Damon completed two other movies (Ocean's Eleven and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron). With this kind of background it is almost a wonder that this film was ever completed and as a result pre-release expectations were none too high. However, against all odds, Doug Liman (Go, Swingers) has produced a slick and competent thriller. Matt Damon stars as Jason Bourne, an amnesiac found drifting in the Mediterranean sea after being pumped full of lead and left for dead. After being rescued by a fishing boat and nursed back from to health our hero sets off from Marseille with the intention of trying to rekindle his lost memories. Along the way, much to his bemusement, he not only finds himself pursued by shadowy would-be assassins, he discovers that he has skills and instincts that suggest that he himself may also be a ruthless trained killer.
So cue some great action sequences; several impressive fight scenes and an excellent car chase through Paris and enough of the original novel's twists and turns to keep the audience interested. Plus, throw in Franka Potente as an interesting female lead and unwilling companion, Clive Owen and Brian Cox in good supporting performances and two hours slip seamlessly by. However, although detractors will point out that The Bourne Identity is probably not the most memorable movie you will ever see (true), it is also fair to say that this is good old fashioned Saturday night at the movies entertainment and definitely worth a watch if you are looking for something undemanding. Matt Damon, excellent in The Talented Mr Ripley and Good Will Hunting as a credible action hero? Now there's a pleasant surprise and with several sequels penned by the late author Robert Ludlum, we may not have yet seen the last of Mr Bourne.
Rating:
Summary: Good or Bad, This Spy Film Is Too Old-Fashioned
Review: "The Bourne Identity" is, in a good sense, a very old-fashioned spy film, and for that same reason it would be hated by many viewers. A film about an amnesiac person involved into a chain of intrigues and plots is nothing new if you only remember "Long Kiss Good Night"; the difference is, the pace of "The Bourne Identity" is, for modern audience, a little too slow, and except for the presence of character actor Brian Cox, it has nothing in common with Lenny Harlin's ridiculously pumped up action scenes. The story is all too basic. A guy who lost his memory played by Matt Damon is found on the stormy sea by Italian fishermen, and he seeks for his identity. On his way through Eupope, he attactes unwelcome guests coming to elinimate him, but with unexpected physical and mental skills he fends off every attack made on him. So, who is he? Anyone? This is so easy a question, so don't bother. The point is, there are actions that might be seen in the spy films made in 1970s or before. Sure, there are car chases, and surveillance system using computers, but the actions are all, as I said, old-fashioned. And the fact is we have seen so many explosions and CGIs during the 90s (like "Total Recall" and any action flick you name), so the style of "The Bounre Identity" looks too old and stale. But folks, originally, spies are supposed to be low-profile, so there's nothing wrong with understated handling of actions. And the photography captures the atmospher of traditional European sceneries, in town and country. But there are some complaints I have to make, and one is that the film is too, a way too, predictable. Though Matt Damon is cast well, usually excellent actors like Chris Cooper and Clive Owen are all wasted as the characters that should be given more substance. They look like desposable villains from episodes of any spy/action TV series, who are nothing but cypher. And the other, and bigger complaint is the way of using female players, especially Franka Potente, "Lola " of "Run Lola Run." There is nothing that reminds us of the energetic existence of the red-haired runner, but she is just a secondary role nobody really cares. This is typical of Hollywood film when they use European actresses -- see "Mission Impossible" for instance -- and there again, they did it. And if you brink your eyes, you will miss the lovely Julia Stiles (what is she doing here?). As a whole agreeable, "The Bourne Identity" is, however, a kind of spy film that critics love, but not exactly all audiences. But critics are those professinal people who have seen many older films, and that will explain.
Rating:
Summary: The man who wasn't there
Review: This savvy adaptation of Robert Ludlum's action-clogged 1980 bestseller benefits from the fact that the filmmakers were smart enough to throw out most of the book's preposterous spills and thrills and concentrate instead on its intriguing central character: An amnesiac who finds himself the target of some very scary assassins. Sixty miles off the coast of Marseilles, the body of a young man (Matt Damon) is pulled out of the stormy Mediterranean by the crew of a French fishing boat. To the amazement of the boat's doctor (Orso Maria-Guerrini), the man is still alive - incredible, considering that he's been shot twice in the back. But when the stranger eventually regains consciousness, he finds that the ordeal has left him with total amnesia. The only clue to the man's identity is a tiny laser device implanted just under his skin, which projects the name of a Zurich bank and the numbers of a Swiss bank account. By the time the boat reaches port, the stranger has managed to recover his health but not his memory. By the time he reaches Zurich, however, he's learned a few unsettling things about himself: He's fluent in several foreign languages; he can take out a number of men at once with his bare hands; and he can wriggle his way out of deadly situations with incredible physical skill and unnerving sangfroid. The contents of the Swiss safe-deposit box reveal his name and address: Jason Bourne, Paris. The guns, fake passports and wads of foreign currency strongly suggest that Bourne's game is international espionage. After narrowly escaping a net of Swiss police that has suddenly dropped around him, Bourne bribes a young German drifter named Marie (Franke Potente) to drive him to Paris. She agrees to do it for $20,000, but soon learns that a road trip with this particular international man of mystery could cost her her life. Ludlum's novel had Jason Bourne pursuing real-life terrorist "Carlos the Jackal" all over Europe, but director Doug Liman (SWINGERS, GO) and the screenwriting team of Tony Gilroy and William Black Herron know where the real story lies: deep inside Bourne's mind, where the decent fellow he thinks he is must confront the truth about Jason Bourne. They also know what's stale and what still works in espionage thrillers. They dispense with the glitz and complicated plotting, relying instead on great stunt work, relatively bloodless action, a winning leading man/leading lady combo and an equally offbeat supporting cast that includes the likes of Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox and Julia Stiles.
Rating:
Summary: Fun movie...
Review: The first time I watched this movie I really didn't like it, based mainly on the ending. Watching it again, though, I found it is an enjoyable flick with nifty action and a decent job by Matt Damon in staying in character. Some parts seemed a little slow and drawn out between him and Franka Potente, but it didn't take away too much from the film.
The DVD itself has good features for anyone looking for a little extra. Overall it was a good film to sit down to and not concentrate too hard on, though it makes you feel that it is more complicated than it really is.
Rating:
Summary: The new front of espionage film
Review: This was a great spy film in an age where spy films are too stupid or too unbelievable to count. The Bond franchise is beginning to unravel itself and new teen movies like XxX are just plain stupid, so this movie was completely surprising. The plot is simple yet intriguing and intelligent, and the action is one of a kind smarts. The scenery is brilliant, and the acting is superb. This takes spy thrillers to a whole new level, and the DVD is a sure-fire hit with anyone who watches. Great!!
Rating:
Summary: Bourne Identity For and Against
Review: Those who read the Ludlum novel may feel this presentation is vaguely faithful. There is some question if Matt Damon is the right Bourne for this movie? Certainly the movie in which Richard Chamberlain played Bourne is in some ways more like what Ludlum wrote. Those familiar with Ludlum and what his novels try to communicate in themes relating to democracy and clandestine operations is not present in this movie. In short not enough love went into the making of this video and for that reason it is difficult to figure out what if any point it makes? There is plenty of action and that is the sole merit of this Ludlum movie.
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