Rating- * * * (3/5)
This movie is a little harder to judge than most. On the one hand, it is an intelligent espionage thriller with a very talented cast and a great visual style. On the downside, however, it is very difficult for the average moviegoer to follow and for the experienced film-lover it offers almost nothing in the way of emotion or artistic depth. In that respect, I felt like the film failed to appeal to either my lowest of instincts or my highest level of intellect; but in that middle ground that The Bourne Identity appeals to, it excels very well. The story begins when man (Matt Damon) is rescued from the ocean with two bullet-holes in his back and some kind of implant in his hip containing the number of a Swiss bank account. The man wakes up with no memory of who he is or where he came from but he does know that he can speak several languages and has remarkable physical and mental skills. His rescuer gives him enough money to get to Switzerland and once there the man begins to realize that the government and many other men may be trying to kill him. Fortunately for him, he turns out to be a CIA-trained killing machine by the name of Jason Bourne (well, that’s one of his names, but for the purposes of this review it will be the one I use). I don’t want to give away too much plot but for the rest of the film, Bourne is pursued by the rogue CIA men who are trying to kill him, all of which is really just a clever setup for some fantastic action sequences. The martial arts sequences are some of the best around and there is also a fantastic car chase through the streets of Paris that rivals some of great car chase scenes of all time. The story gets very convoluted and confusing as it twists and turns through the upper levels of the CIA and global politics. It is also very interesting to see the hero of a spy film lacking the usual cool and self-confidence of a spy because, frankly, he doesn’t know he’s a spy. The result is a kind of James Bond plot line mixed with the everyman personality of a Hitchcock hero. The acting, on the other hand, is much better than a traditional spy film, with fantastic supporting performances from Chris Cooper and Julia Stiles, and two very believable leads from Franka Potente and Matt Damon. Damon may be new at this whole game of big budget, studio pictures but I would love to see him become an action hero and this film may be his ticket in. This may not be the best film of the year, but it is certainly one of the most entertaining and if you are in the mood for some good action with a little international intrigue thrown in, I highly recommend this one.