The Bourne Identity

Matt Damon is "Bourne" To Run
Bruce Bennett

Sick of spy movies? Threatening that the next time you watch a movie that starts out in Langley, Virginia (CIA headquarters) you'll walk out? Well, don't trade in your trench coat just yet. "The Bourne Identity," another in a seemingly endless succession of Hollywood espionage thrillers does what, lately, most films in this genre have not: Provide nail-biting suspense and credible characters without relying on technology-of-the-moment technique or pretentious dialogue. In that regard, this film's minimalist script is a strength and a throwback to classic thrillers such as "Three Days of the Condor" or "The French Connection."

Very loosely based on novelist Robert Ludlum's book of the same name, "The Bourne Identity" begins with Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) being retrieved from the Mediterranean sea by a fishing vessel and having no recollection of how he got there or who put the two bullet slugs in his back. The story then recounts how Bourne attempts to put the pieces of his forgotten life back together relying on his CIA-trained survivalist instincts to avoid the arresting intentions of what seems to be every cop, detective, or operative in Europe. Even the hotel concierges look foreboding.

Franka Potente plays Marie, a German woman who is offered 20,000 reasons to give amnesia-boy a lift to Paris--which is strikingly captured by Cinematographer Oliver Wood. These two work together well, and the mysterious background of both lives provides a heightened desperation to their plight. Damon appears the best suited of the available young actors to fill the void of a confident and brooding but likable hero-type. Heaven knows the big screen could use a new Steve McQueen.

Ludlum purists may take exception to the broad license this adaptation takes with the popular novelist's work (he died last year). But legitimate car chases, heart-pounding fight sequences, cat-and-mouse intrigue and, most of all, plausibility are an espionage lover's cornerstone. It would be easy to categorize "The Bourne Identity" as "Memento for Dummies" (referencing Chris Nolan's superb noir treatment of a similar theme) but there is nothing wrong with "old-school" done right. So now that we're on a high note lets hope Hollywood hears a movie lover's summertime plea: CIA stands for "Can't Indulge Another!"

Mad About Movies grade: A- Rated PG-13 for violence and some language. Agree or disagree? E-mail Bruce at Madaboutmovies2@aol.com

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