The Bourne Identity – Film Review

Posted by Samuel Walters

What if you woke up on a European fishing trawler with no knowledge of who you are, or how you got there? What if you slowly discovered that you could speak several different languages? Had a Swiss bank account with tens of thousands of dollars in multiple currencies? Were an accomplished fighting machine? And had some of the most dangerous people in the world hunting you down? That is the premise of The Bourne Identity – a film that delves into finding out who you are, despite who others might want you to be. This is a film that, despite a number of secret-agent-film clichés, gets high marks for its action, pacing, and even characterizations.

The Bourne Identity is a film that is very much in the same vein as James Bond, The Saint, and other spy-thriller movies. In that sense, the Bourne Identity is replete with sinister agents, a shadowy government agency, and highly skilled, almost superhuman main character who is trying to extricate himself from a no-win scenario. These are actually the worst elements of the film, epitomized by many of the scenes involving CIA Deputy Director Abbot (Brian Cox) and CIA Agent Conklin (Chris Cooper). Abbot does little more than complain and Conklin is a blatant ripoff of Tommy Lee Jones in 1993’s The Fugitive. It’s not so much the performances which are in question, rather it is the ridiculously heavy-handed exposition the actors are asked to convey.

But I’m happy to say, that’s about as bad as the film gets. The rest varies from serviceable (Marie, portrayed by Franka Potente) to surprisingly adept (Nicky, portrayed by Julia Stiles) to memorable (The Professor, portrayed by Clive Owen). But without a doubt, the film’s signature performance comes from its star, Matt Damon as Jason Bourne. I’m no fan of Damon, but his performance in this film is singularly compelling. He is perfect as a conflicted man, trying to do the right thing, haunted by his past, and trying to escape the identity forged for him by the U.S. government.

The plot of the film, clunky exposition aside, is wonderfully paced. The romance between Bourne and Marie is believable, if a bit rushed. The desperate actions of the government over a “malfunctioning $30M weapon” are certainly plausible. And as it rushes toward its conclusion, nearly everyone elevates their game – including the script writers who finally give Chris Cooper something to do as Agent Conklin.

But this, of course, is Jason Bourne’s story. It’s about him discovering that who he was does not have to be who he is. And on this level, the film is – dare I say it? – masterful. The Bourne Identity certainly doesn’t try to be a whole lot more than a straightforward action-thriller. But the implicit commentary that accompanies Jason Bourne’s story provides for a measure of depth not often seen in these kinds of films. How often are we haunted by our pasts? How often are we given an opportunity to change our futures? How often do we take those opportunities? Most importantly, how often do we actively seek to make those opportunities for ourselves?

Overall Grade: B+

The Bourne Identity is a distinctly underappreciated film. I can’t say underrated because I rarely hear of a negative review. But for some reason it hasn’t quite reached that “tipping point” of being considered a true classic film. But the fact is, if you haven’t seen it, this one is well worth the rental.

Topics: Film Review, Mystery, Spy
Filed under: Jason Bourne