The Bourne Identity

THE BOURNE IDENTITY

Rating: B+

Run-of-the-mill actioner saved by its two lead actors.

We all have those days when we wake up and can't remember who we are. Well, at least I do. When Matt Damon is scooped from the ocean by the crew of a fishing boat, he has two slugs in him but no recollection of who he is or how he got there. All he has to go on is the number to a Swiss safety deposit box, some nifty martial arts skills, and the growing realization that someone is out to kill him. Like I said, we all have those days.

He spends the rest of the movie trying to piece together his identity, and the events which led up to his impromptu dip in the ocean. Along the way, he hooks up with Franka Potente when he bribes her to drive him from Zurich to Paris. Damon and Potente actually make an attractive couple, with enough good acting and chemistry between them to make them the high point of the movie. I actually would've welcomed a little more of a love story between the two, which is 180 degrees opposite of what I usually say in reviews.

The Bourne Identity has its requisite share of stock action scenes and shoot-outs. There's a car chase through the streets of Paris that's entertaining, and could've been even better if the editing wasn't such a hatchet job. The current trend is to cut up every action sequence into tiny scraps of film, throw these scraps into the air, and randomly splice them together in the order they land on the floor. I wish they'd knock it off, and instead give us a sequence where we can actually follow what's going on.

Speaking of Zurich and Paris, it seems like every espionage thriller these days must pass through exotic European cities, like it's become one of the idioms of the genre. I'm not complaining; I enjoy taking in the sights of Paris, Prague, Geneva, etc. during a movie as much as the next guy. I'm just making the observation that exotic locations have become as inevitable a part of the spy movie experience as descents below crush depth are in submarine thrillers. I can envision a producer telling his writers, "Go write me an espionage film set in Switzerland. And make sure to put in a car chase through the city streets."

When Damon finally succeeds in putting the puzzle together, the answer isn't particularly rewarding for the audience. Certainly not worth waiting through the entire movie to learn. What happens is all the scenes we've enjoyed between Damon and Potente, in anticipation of the big payoff, suddenly become the true shining moments of what ends up being a rather ordinary action thriller.