The Bourne Identity

If you spend some time looking over the reviews for The Bourne Identity on rottentomatoes.com, you'll find a lot of talk about how smart it is. I won't deny that. You'll also read about critics calling it a throw back to older spy and action films. That I cannot comment on, mainly because almost all of the genre that I have seen has been of a fairly recent nature. I do wish that these critics wrote about how much fun the movie is. It contains some of the coolest action scenes in recent memory including a car chase that has long been one of my favorites (I'd probably say that the 18+ minute car chase extravangaza in The Matrix: Reloaded is my favorite. Fun = kung fu fight on movie semi truck.). The scene in the field at the farmhouse has always got my heart beat moving faster. I am barely able to restrained myself from pumping my fist into the air The Breakfast Club style. There's also a little awesome meter blowout in the stairwell scene near the end.

But that's not all. It is well made. The cinematography is swell. Doug Liman knows how to put an action scene together. The script is tight, although the brevity and subtlety in the dialogue definitely improves in Tony Gilroy's script for The Bourne Supremacy. The acting is good not great. Franke Potente has some wonderfully subtle looks where you can see the gears in her head turning. Matt Damon is not nearly as subtle, but the intensity in Bourne's resolve and practiced assassin moves is palpable. I also love a movie where Chris Cooper gets to act grumpy and weathered (for lack of a better word). The guy's a pro. Even though it's a fairly straight forward character and performance, Cooper rules.

The inclusion of a beautiful stranger oddly attracted to the mystery and action of Bourne's life is a nice move. I couldn't necessarily understand why in the world she wanted to go through all that even when given opportunities to get out, except that perhaps getting out meant getting back to an aimless life always moving and passing through. I think she reveled in the opportunity to latch onto something or someone interesting and exciting and dangerous. She was smitten.

There are themes of finding yourself and facing the ghosts in your past. Neither is whispered. These themes are obvious and often voiced directly. The film likes to spell out its conflicts. That is not surprising for the genre. Even though the film has a bit of a twist near the end when we find out how Bourne ended up in the water where the fishing boar found him, the surprise in minimal. The genuine pleasure of those scenes is seeing how Bourne responds to his revelations about his past. The constant longing for memories and clarity soon becomes a tight rope walk where Bourne could fall if he keeps learning about his checkered past. He wants to know more, but he's scared it'll keep turning up dark.

In the special features on The Bourne Files recent DVD collection, the makers of the film keep saying that Bourne is a special kind of hero because he is human, but they keep showing clips of him doing superhuman feats. If Bourne was as human as I was, I am not sure I would get as excited about the film. Bourne is certainly not ordinary. As common as amnesia is in movies and TV, I don't read about it too often in the newspaper or see feature stories about those suffering about it on the evening news. It is a sensational character affliction that instantly adds mystery and drama to any genre. But it's an unusual occurence in real life, so the inclusion of it already raises the stakes and reality of the film. It's not normal. Bourne is not normal. Sure, the guy's human. He regrets things he's done. I imagine the entire human race can relate to that. But he can also memorize maps, shoot a gun like nobody's business, drive like a messy pro, drop an enemy with quick moves from a Bruce Lee film, and make split sceond decisions where the ordinary person would be crippled with panic. I like that kind of guy. I want to watch that kind of guy. In an action film anyways.

There was also a lot of talk when the second movie came out that the sequel had surpassed its predecessor, but I think it's really subjective to the viewer rather than a tangible fact. If you like slicker flicks, The Bourne Identity is probably the one for you. If you like gritty, handheld flicks, The Bourne Supremacy is probably your favorite cup of tea. Or you could be like me and have great difficulty in choosing one over the other.

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