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The Bourne Identity (Widescreen Extended Edition) | Year: 2002 Classification: Action/Adventure Directed: - Doug Liman - Roger Young Actors/Actresses: - Matt Damon - Franka Potente Zowie, Batman! What a cool flick! I just watched this one within the last week, and I must say I was duly impressed. This offering is fast-paced, high tech, very sexy - a wild ride from beginning to end. I found it rather reminiscent of a James Bond movie, but much grittier and without a clearly defined enemy - at least early on. One of the elements I most enjoyed was heavy sense of mystery that pervades the first half of the movie. Matt Damon does a slightly above-average acting job as Jason Bourne, who doesn't even know his own name or identity when he is dragged half dead out of the Mediterranean by the crew of a French fishing boat. The only clue about his past is a micro-laser embedded in his hip, which reveals the name of a bank in Zurich, along with a numbered Swiss account. Weeks later, still no closer to overcoming his amnesia, he is put ashore and makes a beeline for Zurich, where he finds a safe deposit box containing a stack of passports in various names (one of which is Jason Bourne), as well as lots of cash and a gun. Still quite confused but unsuspecting of any trouble, he heads to the American embassy with hopes of getting some answers. His reception there, however, is less than cordial, and suddenly he finds himself the object of an intense manhunt for reasons he cannot begin to fathom. To make matters worse, his pursuers obviously would rather see him dead than alive. Thus begins a non-stop, pulse pounding race across Europe as Bourne tries both to stay alive and find out who he is and why so many people are after him. Ultimately Bourne does figure out the answers to all his questions, but not before leaving in his wake a string of dead would-be assassins, along with a bunch of stymied police and covert operatives. Unfortunately, he doesn't like what he finds out, and its clear that his past will never leave him alone. This leaves the stage wide open for the sequel, "The Bourne Supremacy", which should hit the theaters quite soon. Overall I thought this movie was extremely riveting and entertaining. The acting wasn't outstanding, but it wasn't a liability either. The story line definitely carries the movie, much more so than the actors. If you haven't seen it, please do. I don't think you'll be disappointed. I can't wait to see the sequel. Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours The purpose of the spy-thriller genre is for us to take vicarious pleasure in the exploits of a super-competent human being facing seemingly insurmountable odds. The Bourne Identity strongly delivers. Matt Damon is able to convince us that he's a human killing-machine who is suddenly laboring with a conscience and the small problem of not remembering who he is. The fight scenes are great; the problem-solving skills are pretty good; and the car chase scene is quite memorable. It would be impossible to condense all the detail of Bourne's novel into a two-hour flick, but the film does a good job of capturing its spirit. The film makes good use of its European setting, taking us from Italy to Switzerland and finally to France. It was great seeing Franka Potente (Run Lola Run) make the leap to American cinema. She doesn't get to shine to her full potential -- but she's an exciting new face, and her presence adds to the international dimension of the film. (As an aside, if you are looking for an action film that isn't just another action film, "Run, Lola Run" is a lot of fun.) What the film doesn't do is push against the boundaries of its genre. It's a well-executed spy-thriller. But it's nothing more than a spy-thriller. A great way to while away a few hours -- but you won't be thinking about it much the next day. Bourne Conspiracy Okay, I'm writing this because I feel that I've been burned. I just purchased the 2004(?) re-release of this DVD and I was very disappointed. The package describes an "explosive extended edition" and "includes an all-new beginning and ending". I've got to admit that I loved the movie when it was in the theatres, and am happy that it is now in my collection, but I never would have bought it had I known the hype was so lame. The 'explosive' new beginning and ending were NOT, and really add nothing to the movie (I won't 'spoil' the 'surprise' for those die-hard fans). Plus they couch the reasons for excluding them from the theatrical release in some 9/11 mumbo-jumbo that was not clearly defined enough to understand. I think it's just a marketing ploy. If you're looking for a major addition to the original in this new release...please say, "I wasn't Bourne yesterday!" Bourne is a lot nicer than in the book. This is an intriguing movie and it will hold your attention from beginning to end. The plot is well conceived and there are no holes to drive trucks through. They could not have picked better actors for the characters. They may not match the descriptions in the book; but this is not a book. The Bourne in the movie is much nicer. You have to make allowances for the transformation to the screen. However he does a lot more borrowing instead of stealing and is not as vicious with people on his travels. Unlike the movie [Three Days of the Condor ASIN: 6300216748 (see my review September 25, 2000)], They did not let director distort the story for his own agenda. Basic story is someone wakes up with amnesia and naturally must find out who he is and why someone wants to kill him? As with all the amnesia stories he could be good, bad, or (I'm not going to say ugly) the person he is seeking. 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