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At first glance, boyish Matt Damon might strike you as unsuited to play a formidable secret agent, but he does remarkably well in the role in this intricate, action-packed, and well-crafted spy thriller. Adapted from the bestselling novel by Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Identity opens with the rescue of a badly wounded amnesiac (Damon), who carries beneath his skin a tiny capsule bearing the number of a Swiss bank account. Upon recovering, the befuddled young man claims a veritable fortune -- and passports bearing several different names -- from his safety deposit box. Understandably eager to find out which one of these identities is his real one, he hires a young Gypsy woman (Run Lola Run’s Franka Potente) to drive him to Paris. From this point, the script by Tony Gilroy and William Blake Herron gets incredibly complicated; the Damon character, who uses his "Jason Bourne" identity for the time being, becomes the object of repeated assassination attempts, which he foils by employing skills he never knew he had. Fine character actors Chris Cooper and Brian Cox are chillingly convincing as CIA bigwigs who decide that "Bourne" must be eliminated and assign their top assassin (Clive Owen) to do the job quickly and, if possible, quietly. Doug Liman (Swingers) directs with headlong single-mindedness, hurling his protagonist into one death trap after another and extricating him with dizzying speed. Wintry European exteriors and drab interior settings give the film a grayish cast, but The Bourne Identity isn’t about pretty pictures; it’s about international intrigue and one man’s refusal to be a pawn in some sinister, global chess game. Improbable but engrossing, The Bourne Identity will keep you poised on the edge of your chair. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

The best-selling suspense novel by late author Robert Ludlum comes to the screen for a second time, following a 1988 made-for-TV movie. Matt Damon stars as Jason Bourne, a barely alive amnesiac with a pair of bullet wounds in his back, pulled from the Mediterranean by Italian fishermen. Bourne's only clue to his own identity is a bank account number etched on a capsule implanted in his body. He quickly finds the Zurich bank where money, a gun, and a few identification documents await, but after he's pursued by security goons at the American consulate, Bourne realizes he can trust no one and offers a German gypsy named Marie (Franka Potente) ten thousand dollars for a ride to Paris. Encountering more professional killers bent on his destruction, Bourne discovers that he possesses a surprising degree of skill in combat, martial arts, and linguistics -- handy talents that clearly indicate his past includes work as a spy and assassin, but for whom? With Marie's reluctant help, Bourne edges closer to the truth, something CIA officials want concealed at all costs. The Bourne Identity co-stars Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox, and Julia Stiles. Karl Williams

New York Times

Free from the encumbrances of history and of Ludlum's cloddish prose, The Bourne Identity, like its hero, triumphs through sheer unreflective professionalism. A.O. Scott

Washington Post

There isn't a dull or dumb moment in this movie. Desson Howe

Los Angeles Times

Laced with great shock moments, Bourne moves along smartly on its own steam, drawing us confidently into its orbit. Kenneth Turan

Product Details

• UPC: 025192236327
• Source: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Time: 1:59:00
• Sales Rank: 33,145

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• The Bourne Trilogy

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