# The Bourne Identity



## TNGTony (Mar 23, 2002)

The Bourne identity is a remake of a TV movie starring Richard Chamberlain and former Angel Jaquelin Smith. But unlike the original movie, the original, this one is more action than intrigue. The original movie was a talk-fest. This one is not.

My brothers and I went to see this yesterday at a matinee. It was worth the $5.75.

This movie is quite believable except in the last action scene that mostly resolves Mr. Bourne's problems.


Spoiler



Jason Bourne jumps from a third or fourth story open stairwell with the body of a man he just killed as a cushion when he hits the floor lobby. After a few seconds he gets up and runs away


 .

For those that don't know the premise of the movie, it is reminiscent of "Total Recall"; the Arnold Schwarzenegger on Mars movie. A man who is barely alive after being shot twice in the back is pulled out of the Mediterranean by a fishing boat. When they get to shore, he begins to try to figure out who he is. While he's trying to figure things out, he realizes that he instinctively knows how to fight his way out of things and he observes and remembers incredible detail about the situation. After a bit, he is being hunted and still doesn't know who he is.

In the movie you, as the viewer know everything that is going on from all character's viewpoints. This "god" style narration takes all the suspense away from the film. It could have been SOOOOO much more entertaining if you were trying to figure it out along with Jason Bourne. Hitchcock, this isn't. Lots of action and explosions and gunfire to keep your attention mixed in with some good ingenuity from our protagonist. But nothing joins this into what it could have been.

So my final rankings (1 worst, 10 best):

Credibility 8 until final scene then 6
Premise 9
Originality 3 (Cliche ridden)
Action 8 (cool car/foot chases and explosions)
Acting 8 (A couple of the minor characters needed acting lessons--the leads were nearly flawless)
Editing 6 (fight scenes have more edits that a bad Hong Kong Kung-Fu movie. At times it was hard to follow what was going on. they tried to make it too "Matrix" like and failed miserably)
Music 8
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Weighted overall *6.5*

I recommend this movie as a matinee. It is a "fun" movie. But it could have been so much more.

See ya
Tony


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## jrjcd (Apr 23, 2002)

i didn't see the chamberlain film, but-while i agree it could have been much more(save for casablanca, a caveat that could be used for MOST films-lol), after a summer of spidermen and clones(movies i also liked, but on a different level), i really liked a film where the characrter had to use his wits to achive his goals and was somewhat more rooted in this reality(my fav. scene???right before the big car chase, where bourne has to consult the street map)...this film remonded me of films i enjoyed from 20-40 years ago, like target, the package, the ipcress files, and the like-not as good, but definitely in the same spirit...


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## HTguy (May 7, 2002)

I saw it yesterday ($4.50 matinee) at a good theater & enjoyed it a lot. Good escapist entertainment if you like spy thrillers.

I agree w/Tony re:


Spoiler



the stairwell jump, really the only spell-breaker IMO.



Also, did anyone get (or _buy_) the


Spoiler



"John Michael Kane" ID subplot? Why would this "character" die in Paris? Just so the exiled dictator would go see the body in the morgue and realize it couldn't possibly be the assassin that was shot off the yaght?


 

But I thought the short scene with asst. director in front of the congressional sub-comittee was a nifty "conclusion."


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