Bourne Identity

June 16, 2002

Of all the the movies in the current marketplace, the one I really wanted to see was The Bourne Identity. Doug Liman (Swingers, Go) steps up from his low budget roots to pilot this Matt Damon vehicle, obstensibly a story an amnesiac trying to find his identity. This isn’t some kind of introspective character piece though, as Damon quickly finds himself caught up in an international spy conspiracy and goes on the run through Europe with Franka Potente in tow.

The story isn’t all that complex, but it is tightly written and continously interesting. It mixes elements from The Fugitive and the military notes of the Tom Clancy films and offers a fun ride of its own. The action sequences are brief, but well done, and deliver the promise of making Matt Damon a thinking man’s action hero. I couldn’t quite tell if Damon was good in this movie or not, since his character is supposed to be a blank template, and empty vessel. As a result, it’s hard to tell what part of Damon’s work is the writing or bad acting, what parts are bland and what parts are purposeful.

The only question now: When does Damon team up with Affleck for the Jason Bourne/Jack Ryan crossover summer monstrosity?

Posted in Moving Pictures