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Movies / On DVD / The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Identity

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The Bourne Identity (2002)

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Reviews Counted:178

Fresh:147

Rotten:31

Average Rating:7/10

Consensus: Matt Damon makes a convincing action hero in this solid, if old-fashioned (in the good sense), thriller.

Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: As THE BOURNE IDENTITY begins, a man who may or may not be Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is found floating in the Mediterranean Sea and is hauled onto a fishing boat. When the ship's doctor examines... As THE BOURNE IDENTITY begins, a man who may or may not be Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is found floating in the Mediterranean Sea and is hauled onto a fishing boat. When the ship's doctor examines the unconscious castaway, he discovers two bullet wounds and an implanted device that displays a Swiss bank account number. With nothing but this code, the amnesiac Bourne travels to Zurich and gains access to a safe-deposit box containing a gun, thousands of dollars in various currencies, and valid passports from numerous countries--each listing a different identity. Within minutes, Bourne is on the run from a seemingly ever-present agency, relying on language and fighting skills he didn't even know he possessed. Offering $20,000 for a ride to Paris, Bourne gains the reluctant help of the nomadic Marie (Franka Potente). Meanwhile, the shadowy organization, headed by a tough-talking bureaucrat (Chris Cooper), sends numerous assassins (including the Professor, played by Clive Owen) after Bourne and Marie. As their situation grows more perilous, the two strangers struggle to find out who Bourne really is and why they are being hunted. Doug Liman's adaptation of Robert Ludlum's best-selling novel is a remarkable exercise in straightforward storytelling, with the director wisely choosing to focus on Bourne and his quest for identity. The fight sequences are thrilling, but never overly glamorized, and the film's pacing is engaging and deliberate. Damon, who displays genuine bewilderment as his character discovers his almost-superhuman abilities, anchors the proceedings with the subtle charm of an unlikely action hero. Potente also shines as Bourne's road companion, a savvy woman who slowly builds an utterly believable relationship with the confused man. Bearing distinct affinity for its European setting and classic Hollywood suspense films, THE BOURNE IDENTITY succeeds as an unusually smart character-driven thriller. [More]

Starring: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen

Starring: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox, Gabriel Mann, Julia Stiles, Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje

Director: Doug Liman

Director: Doug Liman
Screenwriter: Tony Gilroy, W. Blake Herron
Producer: Doug Liman, Pat Crowley, Richard N. Gladstein
Composer: John Powell
Studio: Universal Pictures

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Reviews for The Bourne Identity

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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For once, a sequel would be welcome.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Emma Cochrane
Emma Cochrane
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Efficient set pieces come neatly spaced every ten to 15 minutes -- just often enough to keep you credulous -- and the trans-European settings lend a classy backdrop.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It resembles one of those travelogue thrillers of the 1960s, that were blown away by the success of James Bond.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
11/10/02
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

In short, The Bourne Identity is an excellent thriller and is well-worth checking out.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/30/02
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

The Bourne Identity is a blockbuster without a point... Despite its good-looking veneer, its breakneck pace, its daisy-chain of expert set-pieces, some crucial logic or motive appears to have been junked along the way.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment 1 Comment
10/02/02
Xan Brooks
Xan Brooks
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A fast-paced, unpredictable and edgy yarn that breathes new life into the espionage thriller genre.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
08/20/02
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Twists and turns keep the story increasingly complex and gripping, even if director Liman doesn't really pump up the adrenaline.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
07/14/02
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
09/08/09
Guylaine Cadorette
Guylaine Cadorette
Hollywood.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

Farfetched plotting nearly capsizes this globe-trotting thriller but director Doug Liman certainly keeps the international intrigue and testosterone flowing at an entertaining clip.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

A first-rate thriller with grit and intrigue to spare.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/12/08
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
12/27/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

You may be surprised by the fact that this formula spy thriller has been delivered with a matter-of-fact efficiency that proves highly entertaining.

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment Comment
08/03/07
Beth Accomando
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org

A sleek espionage thriller that reduces the world to the size of a postage stamp. Matt Damon is terrific.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
07/26/07
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

The movie is about muscular speed and skill, and that's all it's about. Like its hero, it's blank by design.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
07/23/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

...Liman is also clever enough to make the real action start when the motor stops.

Full Review Source: Nation | comment Comment
03/03/05
Stuart Klawans
Stuart Klawans
Nation

The Bourne Identity is an intense, violent, bite-your-nails-to-the-quick thriller.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
12/06/04
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer

One of the many problems, other than Damon’s lack of emotion, is the fact that there’s no suspense.

Full Review Source: tonymedley.com | comment 2 Comments
10/07/04
Tony Medley
Tony Medley
tonymedley.com

...puts the snap, crackle and pop back into the spy thriller.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
07/23/04
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

Liman can uncork leap-out-of-your-seat shocks, draw out suspense scenes with malicious finesse and even ease a touch of romance and droll humor into the yarn.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
05/19/04
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for The Bourne Identity

August 21, 2009: New Writer Hired for Fourth Bourne Film Opens in new window
With George Nolfi tied up on "The Adjustment Bureau," Universal has hired Josh Zetumer to come up with a new script for the fourth installment in the "Bourne" series. More...

August 07, 2009: Doug Liman Is a Real Life Action Hero Opens in new window
"Bourne Identity" director Doug Liman was boating in the Hudson River when he saw a cargo ship plow into a speedboat -- and then he helped rescue the four passengers, all of... More...

August 04, 2009: Matt Damon Talks More Bourne Opens in new window
If it happens, it won't come together for some time, but according to Matt Damon, the door is open for a fourth "Bourne" film. More...

April 13, 2009: Fourth Bourne Arriving in 2011? Opens in new window
Producer Frank Marshall has apparently joined the ranks of famous folks on Twitter -- where he's announced that the fourth "Bourne" movie is on track for summer 2011. More...

See All

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