The Bourne Identity

Title : The Bourne Identity ("Bourne-1", 2 hours)

Genre : Action (MPAA Rating : PG-13)

Rating : **** (out of 5*)

This Weekend I Watched...
I've been told I will be going to see Bourne-3 in the near future. I've also been told I will watch Bourne 1-&-2 before we go, so that I don't spend the whole time asking stupid questions (which I am wont to do) about what's going on with Mr. Amnesia and the nasty folks who keep trying to kill him.

What's To Like...
Matt Damon is a very good fit as Jason Bourne. And he's a hunk, so you can talk your wife or GF into watching this one.

There's lots and lots of action. The fight scenes are cool. The (obligatory) chase scene is great! In a Mini Cooper, no less. How cool is that!? Bourne actually has to outdrive the pursuing fleet of cop cars and motorcycles. He can't just shove the car into 8th gear and leave them in his 150-mph dust.

The plot holds its own, even though we can figure out his entire past about 30 minutes into the film. And the European locations used as the backdrops (especially Paris) make me want to save my money and go back there another time.

What's Not To Like...
People who have read the (Robert Ludlum) book, seem to hate how far the movie strays from the novel. Some also seem to think an earlier incarnation of Bourne-1, starring Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith, was better. I'm sorry, but those two are not Academy Award winning thespians. That movie has to suck, even if I've never seen (nor heard of) it.

For me, there were some serious believability lapses thoughout the flick.

Jason Bourne's bullet-riddled body is found floating in the ocean by some fishermen. Instead of turning him over to the cops, or at least dumping him as quickly as possible on the nearest shore, they tend to his wounds, and even take up a collection of $$$ as a going-away present. Yeah, right.

To boot, it is discovered (while he's still unconscious) that he has a small cylinder implanted in his hip, which when you look at it close up, discloses his Swiss bank account number. What super-duper hitman is going to have that sort of information embedded in his body?

Then there's the stereotypical African despot, who may or may not get killed halfway thru the movie. He's clearly shown as having survived (he's talking to his aide while lying on the floor, having soiled his underwear), yet the police act like he's dead and he never shows up again in the flick.

All that however, can be forgiven as various plot devices. The real head-scratcher is...

Bourne is at the top of a stairwell. He's taken out all but one of a CIA hit-squad. The remaining mayhem-maker is coming up the stairs. This is seemingly an easy situation. You either escape out a window, climb to the roof (or both), or else just plug the guy as he's coming up the steps, right?

Wrong. Jason pushes the body of a dead hitman through the railing and down into the stairwell, then rolls off into a stairwell free-fall as well. As he's plummeting downward, he has the wherewithal to shoot the bad guy, then still have time to position himself right above the falling body, which miraculously breaks his fall at the bottom. Holy Implausibility, Batman!

Bourne To Be Wild...
I have a tough time understanding the "it doesn't follow the book" criticism. I read Crichton's Jurassic Park before seeing that movie, and there's some significant straying there as well.

That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy both versions of JP . Ludlum's plots (I am told) are usually very complex, and Bourne-1 is no exception. It would be very difficult (and very time-consuming) for a movie to try to include all that complexity. This movie is 2 hours long as it is. I don't think I want to sit through a 4-hour flick that faithfully captures every nuance of the book.

But I digress. The cinematic Bourne Identity may not be a gripping thriller like the novel is, but it's non-stop action with a good plot. I like the "assassin with a conscience" portrayal, which is a lot more interesting than any James Bond character. Only the numerous lapses in believability bring this rating down to only four stars.