The Bourne Identity (2002)

A man is picked up by a fishing boat, bullet-riddled and suffering from amnesia, before racing to elude assassins and regain his memory.

Director:

Doug Liman

Writers:

Tony Gilroy (screenplay), W. Blake Herron (screenplay),

Stars:

Franka Potente, Matt Damon, Chris Cooper

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matt Damon	...	Jason Bourne
Franka Potente	...	Marie
Chris Cooper	...	Conklin
Clive Owen	...	The Professor
Brian Cox	...	Ward Abbott
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje	...	Wombosi
Gabriel Mann	...	Zorn
Walton Goggins	...	Research Tech
Josh Hamilton	...	Research Tech
Julia Stiles	...	Nicolette
Orso Maria Guerrini	...	Giancarlo (as Orso Maria-Guerrini)
Tim Dutton	...	Eamon
Denis Braccini	...	Picot
Nicky Naudé	...	Castel (as Nicky Naude)
David Selburg	...	Marshall

Storyline

Based very loosely on Robert Ludlum's novel, the Bourne Identity is the story of a man whose wounded body is discovered by fishermen who nurse him back to health. He can remember nothing and begins to try to rebuild his memory based on clues such as the Swiss bank account, the number of which, is implanted in his hip. He soon realizes that he is being hunted and takes off with Marie on a search to find out who he is and why he is being hunted.

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Plot Keywords:

swiss bank | passport | fishing boat | mediterranean sea | money | 

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Taglines:

Bourne to survive

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Genres:

Action | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

14A

Details

Official Sites:

Universal [United States]

Country:

USA Germany Czech Republic

Language:

English French German Dutch Italian

Release Date:

14 June 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

La mémoire dans la peau

Filming Locations:

Seine River, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$932,960 (Japan) (24 January 2003)

Gross:

$4,874,565 (Japan) (28 February 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Kennedy/Marshall Company, The, Hypnotic

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Russell Crowe and Sylvester Stallone were considered for the role of Jason Bourne.

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Goofs

When Bourne is on the fire escape at the consulate and he drops the red bag, there is a car parked beside the building. In the next shot, we only see the bag. The car has vanished. Then as he swings onto the ledge, the car is back. Then as he climbs down the wall, the car has disappeared.

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Quotes

Conklin: [to his team] I want Bourne in a body bag by sundown.

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Crazy Credits

A thunderstorm sounds in the background of the Universal logo.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Billy Crystal/Rose Byrne/Chef Nobu Matsuhisa/Lecrae (2014)

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Soundtracks

Believe Me
Written by 'Christopher "Tricky' Stewart', Rudy Currence
Performed by Rudy
Courtesy of Red Zone Entertainment

User Reviews

Fine little action flick

I can sympathize with reviewers who had read the book and were disappointed by this film and the liberties it apparently took with the story. I've had that happen with books I've enjoyed and it can spoil a film you might otherwise have liked. I never read the book, so I was able to appreciate this film on its own merits - slick, tough, fast-paced and refreshingly devoid of the kind of nonsense that has made the Bond films harder and harder to sit through.

I'm especially impressed by the fights, which, as other reviewers have pointed out, are among the most believable martial-arts-based fight scenes ever seen. No big grand gestures or Olympian kicks - just fast, nasty moves designed to inflict maximum damage with minimum effort.

The cast is uniformly good - even Damon, who is no fave of mine, comes across believably as a man who's trained to hold it all in, but isn't sure what it all is that he's holding in. Cooper, Cox and Owen shine in their all-too-brief screen time. Potente is attractive in a real person sort of way (sigh of relief for this genre) and possesses an inner strength that makes her character's actions and reactions ring truer than what we'd get from the traditional Hollywood eye-candy girlfriend these films normally feature.

From the gritty bowels of the trawler, where Damon awakens to his situation, to the field where he confronts his most deadly assailant, the locations are the antithesis of the travel poster hotspots that Bond so frequently visits. Despite its breakneck pace (handled so well by Liman and so poorly in the sequel by his protégé), the film manages to convey a sense of melancholy that lifts it a bit above the average action thriller. Sorry book fans - it may not be your cup of Ludlum, but it's still a damn fine little action flick.