Rating: 
Summary: I love this movie!
Review: Great movie . . . good actors . . . love the European feel to the movie and Matt Damon actually comes across as sexy. I really enjoyed the movie, although I had a real dislike for the book when I tried reading it after having seen the movie.It's probably best not to try to compare the two. They're just too different.
Rating: 
Summary: Still-Bourne
Review: Slow to get going. The film goes nowhere, and fast. I can't recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: A well-crafted spy thriller
Review: I didn't like the book. It was corny. How corny? Well, Iowa comes to mind. So I think the director was very wise to do a loose adaptation. Damon is terrific as Jason Bourne. Understated and fantastic in the action sequences. His German co-star is also excellent. It is a masterful piece of film making. Sure, it may may cross over from "film" to "movie" in places, but all in all it's a completey satisfying spy movie. Well shot. Well directed. Well edited. And marvelous sound design. In short, it rocked. Oh yeah, if you want something truer to the book, there is an earlier version of this movie starring the action movie staple Richard Chamberlain. Sort of a secret agent meets "The Thornbirds" type deal, I guess.
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Summary: never read the book, nor saw the first version - awesome
Review: This is one of those movies where random elements came together to make the movie special. What I mean is: it turned out better than most had expected. There is a lot left to the imagination in such a way that you are not disappointed but actually surprised at it's appeal because you end up filling in the gaps by yourself in a way that is the most entertaining to you. Maybe it's just me, but the Bourne Identity is my favorite movie of 2002. With that said, you won't be disappointed any way it's sliced. It's a spy movie with a ruthless plot and realistic motives that are actually kinda chilling. Nice production value and killer acting. punya. enjoy, don't miss, buy because everything else coming out right now is l-a-m-e (01/03). On a side note, I saw the 80's version and it's pretty dated.
Rating:
Summary: A skillfully made thriller
Review: THE BOURNE IDENTITY is a tightly conceived, well directed, well photographed and particularly well acted suspense thriller loosely based on the Robert Ludlum best seller. True, many liberties have been taken from the novel, but when you take the time to note that Ludlum himself is the producer, then all arguments are off. Matt Damon and Franka Potente are terrific as the amnesiac agent and his 'only friend' who helps him escape a mad and endless chase from multiple groups of would be assassins. The characters are well developed - Damon gives one of his better perfomances, doing most of his stunt work himself while Potente continues to prove she is an actress worth watching. The supporting cast of such fine actors as Chris Cooper, Brian Cox, etc help propel this movie along. Outside of the French Connection this is one of the best car chases ever filmed - gratefully without the now-boring background of explosions and destruction. In all a fine film that is delivered on DVD with interesting and informative sidebars.
Rating: 
Summary: "Incredible" Alternate ending misleading
Review: This DVD is being heavily advertised on television in the weeks prior to and following it's release, with an emphasis on the "incredible" alternate ending. This is misleading to say the least, as it is simply a variation of the original ending that changes it in virtually no significant way. So, don't buy the movie for this reason. Here is what you do get: Matt Damon as a likeable action hero with a conscience. A female lead that seemed grafted onto the script. A movie with many, many plot holes. Good action sequences. A car chase where the cars don't automatically explode when they crash (bucking the Hollywood trend there). And yes, a predictable ending. All in all average popcorn munching fare, good for a watch but that's about it. If your tastes run towards spy adventures set in Paris, Ronin offers a much more satisfying experience.
Rating:
Summary: WFBIRD
Review: Best movie I've watched in a long time. Chase scene was the best. Loved her. Non stop action was great!! So what if it Doesn't follow the book exactly. People that do not like this movie because of that should stick to books. You should buy this movie it's that good.
Rating:
Summary: Well made, interesting spy thriller
Review: "The Bourne Identity" is a well-crafted, reasonably intelligent spy thriller that is akin to the classics made in the 1960s and 1970s. It has high energy moments, like an elaborate auto chase through the streets of Paris, but it eschews the flashy, over-produced special effects of movies like 'XXX' in favor of greater focus on the characters and the story. While the plot has a number of hard to believe elements to it, it's still intriguing enough to keep an audience well entertained. The crew of a fishing vessel discovers an unconscious man [Matt Damon] floating in the water off the coast of France. He has two bullets in his back and an odd little gadget sewn into his hip. The man recovers physically but is plagued by amnesia. Using the gadget, the captain learns that their passenger has a numbered bank account in Switzerland. Later, after making his way to Zurich, the confused victim finds out he is John Borne, American resident of Paris. It's more complicated than that, though, because he also uncovers several other passports. Is he Borne, is he someone else, or is he all of these identities? At the American Consulate, he learns one more thing: He is a wanted man whom some group wants to assassinate. Enlisting the aid of a German girl, Marie [Franka Potente], he makes his way to Paris. There, both he and Marie are in even greater danger. He establishes that he was a CIA agent, and, as his memory slowly returns, he comes to understand that he was anything but a nice guy. Damon does a great job of playing an action hero. It's an interesting role for him, almost but not quite as multi-layered as his part in "The Talented Mr. Ripley'. He and Potente make an excellent on screen couple, both in the action scenes and the romantic ones. The movie was directed by Doug Liman, who also did the cult classic "Swingers" and the wonderful [and little seen] "Go". He brings a modern feel to an old genre. Adding to the film's appeal is the excellent photography, which was done on location in Paris, Prague, Switzerland and Greece.
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Summary: I Read the Book & I Thoroughly Enjoyed the Film!
Review: There is no question that Robert Ludlum's Novel is a fine piece of fiction.
If those of you who are quick to dismiss this film, would take it for what it is...
a well written screenplay and a very well acted film, perhaps you would perceive it differently. Perhaps not.
Hollywood does this type of film making often, that is loosely basing a film on
a novel. Sometimes the film can stand upon it's own merits, as this one most certainly does, sometimes the results are disastrous. I personally see this film as an underrated gem. I enjoyed every aspect of it.
I was particularly relieved to see no overblown special effects. In one sentence I can sum up my perception of this film.
Here is a great cast, performing a well crafted screenplay and elevating it to a
level above most other films of 2002. Great photograpy and 'atmosphere', as well! j.nomograms
Rating:
Summary: Cain is for Charlie, and Delta is for Cain
Review: For those of you who loved Robert Ludlums book, the Bourne Identity, I do not recommend this movie. I loved the book so much I bought the movie based on my liking for the book and other reviews I had heard. I was extremely dissapointed. This movie is so horrendously different from the book they should have called it some other title and in captions said, "Based on Robert Ludlum's THE BOURNE IDENTITY. I was so disapointed in the outcome of this movie. For those who read the book you will surely remember Carlos, Virilis (the French guy whose wife works for Carlos), the clothes store, and the church where Carlos relays information. None of these are in the movie. In fact I counted about similarities, the names of the main characters, Treadstone 71, that Bourne was a weapon, and that he was shot in a yacht in the beginning, and the bank in Zurich where Bourne gets a lot of money. That's pathetic. For those of you who wonder why I give this 3 stars, it is a great action movie, with some cool stuff, like the car chase and the scaling of the wall. If you were a fan of the book, I wouldn't waste your money unless you rent the movie first.
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