Doug Liman, the director of Bourne, directs the traffic well, gets a nice wintry look from his locations, absorbs us with the movie's spycraft and uses Damon's ability to be focused and sincere.
Comment
06/14/02
The Bourne Identity (2002)
83
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
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... [More]
Starring: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen
Director: Doug Liman
Reviews for The Bourne Identity
Top Critic...somehow manages to escape the shackles of its own clichés to be the best espionage picture to come out in weeks.
06/14/02
Anyone familiar with the better work of Damon or director Doug Liman will see their jacked-up expectations shot down.
06/14/02
Sets medium-range goals for itself, and nails them solidly.
06/14/02
There's a new action hero in town, and I'm sorry Yoda, but he isn't a CGI midget with bad hygiene and Miss Piggy's voice.
06/13/02
Confirms that espionage can be compelling without being sexy, even with Matt Damon in the starring role.
06/13/02
A captivating spy thriller well worth the ticket price.
06/13/02
A composition of gestures stripped of romance and presented in their barest forms.
06/13/02
The screenplay never lets us forget that Bourne was once an amoral assassin just like the ones who are pursuing him . . . There is never really a true “us” versus “them”.
06/13/02
"The Bourne Identity" creates its own new coherence of indie arthouse and commercial thriller.
06/13/02
I've seen the best cloak-and-danger exercises, including The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and the original Day of the Jackal, and in terms of story and cold-sweat suspense, I'd rank this one right up there.
06/13/02
Even if the new Bourne Identity doesn't stick to the letter of his work, the late, great Ludlum would still appreciate this ripping yarn if he saw it.
06/13/02
A throwback to all that made movies like this exciting in the first place, a film where the action, though highly alluring, remains less important than the mystery at hand.
06/13/02
Director Doug Liman brings an indie sensibility to Bourne that has more in common with gritty '70s thrillers than anything from the last two decades.
06/13/02
An impeccable Hollywood thriller.
06/13/02
The film's greatest asset is how much it's not just another connect-the-dots, spy-on-the-run picture.
06/13/02
Exciting and engrossing...doesn't attempt anything innovative, but it succeeds by doing the tried and true very effectively.
06/13/02
The film's overall upbeat tempo and eventful complications made for an entertaining watch.
06/13/02
Damon does not look like a guy who could break your arm like a matchstick, and that’s why “The Bourne Identity” works. Watching this second coming of Richie Cunningham suddenly unleash his fists and feet and elbows (and Bic pen) of fury is chilling.
06/13/02
Latest News for The Bourne Identity
August 21, 2009:
New Writer Hired for Fourth Bourne Film 
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
"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
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?
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...
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