The Bourne Identity (2002)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Doug Liman

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

14 June 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

He was the perfect weapon until he became the target.

Plot:

A man is picked up by a fishing boat, bullet-riddled and without memory, then races to elude assassins and recover from amnesia.

Plot Keywords:

Bank | Fishing Boat | Jason Bourne | Boat | Bank Account

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

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 Naude	...	Castel
David Selburg	...	Marshall

Also Known As:

Die Bourne Identität (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence and some language.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA | Germany | Czech Republic

Language:

English | French | German | Dutch | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 (TV rating) | Malaysia:18SG | Hungary:14 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:12 | Italy:T | India:UA | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Austria:14 | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (certificate #37892) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Iceland:14 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Avenue Kleber, Paris 8, Paris, France

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

In an earlier draft of the screenplay, Marie was American, her surname was Purcell and she had green hair. Final drafts had her name changed to Kreutz, her nationality changed to German and she was given multicolored hair.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Treadstone activates its assassins, and the Professor is shown teaching how to play piano, he checks his phone, and the message text is shaking as he closes the phone, indicating that the text originally was not displayed by the phone, but it was digitally added later.

Quotes:

Marie: Nobody does the right thing.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Middleman: The Palindrome Reversal Palindrome (#1.12)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

It's Undeniable

What a Spy Movie Should Be Like These Days

James Bond and Ethan Hunt take notice. "The Bourne Identity" is my new standard for contemporary spy thrillers. Gone (or almost gone) are the special effects that James and Ethan rely on all too heavily. Hell, in those franchises the special effects have virtually replaced story and characters. "The Bourne Identity" has a very straightforward story to tell, a mystery that slowly unravels. Spycraft is not all about technical gizmos, but requires human brains and human brawn (and a fair amount of gunplay and car chases).

Set in various locales in Switzerland and France during the winter much of the visuals for "The Bourne Identity" are gray and damp. That's a plus, Monte Carlo and like locales can get boring. Mat Damon is great as Jason Bourne, fished from the Mediterranean mostly dead by gunshot wounds. A total amnesiac, he slowly realizes that he possesses the deadly skills of a well-trained assassin, and that someone is out to kill him. Franka Potente is equally good as the young woman swept up in his life and forced to run with him. Run or be killed.

I can't say enough good things about this movie. Doug Limon, thanks, you did a great job.