Reviewed 07 Oct 2002 Matt Damon as Jason Bourne appears at first glance to be a little young to be playing the super-spy, but he quickly works his way into the realm of 'audience acceptance'. What is a little more difficult to accept is after Jason attempts to figure out what he did before the amnesia wiped his brain, he gets more than a little stupid:- "Let's see, I can unconsciously memorize 6 car license plates in front of the restaurant I just walked into. I just happen to be a deadly martial arts expert. I have a numbered Swiss bank account that I found the number for in a laser imbedded in my flesh. I have a bank deposit box containing a 9mm Walther PPK, a spyglass. and a stack of unmarked cash from several foreign countries that, individually, would choke a horse. I also have 6 passports for 6 different countries all with my photo but in different names. I speak several foreign languages. I have snipers and other assassins trying to kill me, twenty-four/seven. Let me think . . . . I know ! I must be a shoe salesman !"
But more irritating than that is the frightfully tattered re-re-re-hashing of the "Evil CIA" plot. Sydney Pollack was the last person to do that one well -in Three Days of the Condor- and that was 27 years ago. (Yes, it was REALLY made in 1975.) Replicating all those films of the genre that came before it, The Bourne Identity portrays an ultra-evil CIA that can seemingly go anywhere, kill anybody it wants to at any time, right under the noses of foreign and local law enforcement, and disappear into thin air. I guess this omnipotence is supposed to be scary, Come on, Hollywood, give us a new bogie-man.
Despite these annoyances, the acting is superb throughout, the action is fast paced (why are car-chase scenes always better in Paris?) and the one-on-one 'combat' is realistic. A special mention to Don Burgess for outstanding cinematography.
Enduring Line Or Phrase: "...forget about you? You're the only person I know,."
© 2002, Bangkok Eyes / bangkokeyes.com