When a body is recovered at sea still alive, the mystery man (Damon) seems to have forgotten everything in life, including who he was. Eventually he begins to remember smaller details in life and soon finds out that his name was Jason Bourne. What he doesn't like is the gun and fake passports belonging to him. Now Bourne, and his new friend, Marie Helena Kreutz (Potente) travel from country to country in search of his new identity. But someone is not happy to see him alive, and is frantically trying to track him down.Written by
Peet
Doug Liman says Paris is very close to his heart and the most beautiful city in the world, no doubt why he chose to film there; when he later made Edge of Tomorrow (2014), he got to showcase the city in a completely different light. See more »
Goofs
After Jason shoots the gas tank, the Professor's view of the farm is obstructed by thick black smoke. When we see the tank from Jason's point of view, the smoke is white, relatively sparse and can easily be seen through. See more »
Quotes
Conklin:
We've been sleeping down there. Believe me, we're doing everything we can.
Ward Abbott:
And you don't let me know this?
Conklin:
You never wanted to before.
Ward Abbott:
You never made a mistake before.
See more »
Crazy Credits
A thunderstorm sounds in the background of the Universal logo. See more »
Alternate Versions
The newly released DVD of the film contains the original never before seen opening to the film in which Bourne is seen in the same town seen at the end of the film wandering around, asking if anyone has seen the girl in the photo he is holding. After being pointed in the wrong direction, Bourne then falls to the ground, drugged, and the picture of Marie that he was holding drops from his hand. See more »
Santa Maria (del Buen Ayre)
Written by Philippe Cohen Solal, Christophe H. Muller, Eduardo Makaroff
Performed by Gotan Project
Courtesy of ¡Ya Basta! Records
By Arrangement with Big Sounds International See more »
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.
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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.