With Paul Greengrass’ filmmaking style so heavily linked to the franchise, its interesting to watch the initial entry that he had no involvement in and note that many of the hallmarks of the series were already put in place by Liman. It’s also clear how influential the film became as a result, with the resulting sequels more of a refinement to the original. The camerawork, whilst less frenetic, is still aiming to ground the action and each of the fight sequences are notable for emphasising the brutality and speed that the central character is capable of. Damon makes for a likeable protagonist and the filmmakers tread a careful line of making the central character’s dilemma and confusion relatable and sympathetic, yet at the same time reminding the audience of how dangerous he can be. The European setting equally helps to give the film a look that has since been replicated in every action film of note from Bond to Taken. It is a solid start to the franchise, though the film spends little time of consequence dealing with the ramifications of Bourne’s discovery and Potente’s does what little she can with Marie, a largely thankless role that seems to exist solely to give Bourne something to protect throughout.

Haven't seen this movie in .. dang 10 years? It's good. I'll give it that. It's a fun action movie. What it isn't however is a good adaption. Adaptions aren't cookie cutter mirrors of their books. I get that but this one trimmed one layer too deep. The reveal about who Jason Bourne is really kinda makes the whole narrative and the movie robs you of that. I feel what they've replaced it with is a bit sloppy and maybe I'm reading too much but a touch racist. The car scenes hold up better than the fight scenes but this movie has energy the likes of which we don't typically see in action movies that don't star legit martial artists. I'll put that on both Liman and Damon. They did a lot of work on this and it shows. Franka Potente is lovely as always but her Marie is underused. In the books Marie was the driving heart of their side of the story. Marie kept Jason going digging him to find out more. Here Marie is more what she appeared to be from the outside. Just along for the chaotic and confusing ride. She's great but she could have been so much more if they had given her a character to portray.

It's not what I'd call a true "classic", with a plotline that is nothing remarkable, but it's a fun enough watch, with Franka Potente giving the film much needed charm. And that's really the best thing this film had going for it. Damon is merely kind of likable, but is the definition of "generic, young white bread", but Potente imbues their onscreen relationship with a lot of humanity and just plain cute moments, without being chinzy or feeling especially Hollywood.

Given how many films there are in the franchise it's hardly a spoiler to say that it ends with a real crowd pleaser of a finale, especially with the Moby track playing out the last scene, (which, along with the creative use of writing utensils, was the only other thing I had remembered since seeing it in theaters twenty-one years ago.)

And this film gains a lot from the theater treatment. You really need a large screen and a great sound system to properly get into this kind of film, even with the "4K HDR" update, which was barely noticeable to me. It's not a bad looking film, but it's pretty unremarkable, as was the faked HDR tone-mapping. I'd simply have much rather been watching pretty much any Bond film.

ps. At the risk of calling myself a hypocrite, I guess the plot actually _was_ kind of remarkable in the fact that it did show the CIA being terrorists, and it wasn't a rogue element committing the terrorism, but rather a rogue element that actively decided to stop being an international terrorist only after going rogue.

In The Bourne Identity, Doug Liman and Tony Gilroy's adaptation of Robert Ludlum's novel, Matt Damon stars as Jason Bourne, a man who is found floating unconscious in the Mediterranean Sea with no memory of his past and a series of mysterious numbers tattooed on his body. As he tries to piece together his past and unravel the mystery of his identity, Bourne realizes that he has been trained as a highly skilled assassin and is being hunted by various groups who seem to want him dead.

One of the film's major strengths is its central character, played by Damon in a performance that showcases both his physical and emotional range. Bourne is a complex and layered character who is both relatable and sympathetic, despite his formidable fighting skills and dangerous nature. The film also does a good job of establishing its European setting, which gives the film a distinctive look and feel that has been widely imitated in other action films.

However, the film is not without its flaws. The plot, while engaging, does not offer much in the way of depth or development, and the other characters are underdeveloped and lack any real complexity. The relationship between Bourne and Marie (played by Franka Potente) is particularly shallow and lacks any real emotional depth or resonance. The film's climax is also somewhat underwhelming, failing to deliver the same level of excitement as the rest of the film.

Despite these weaknesses, The Bourne Identity is a solid action thriller that is elevated by its compelling central character and distinctive European setting. While it may not be a groundbreaking film, it is an enjoyable watch and a strong start to the Bourne franchise.

Matt Damon ("Jason Bourne") is fished out off the sea by a passing fishing boat and after having had bullets removed from his back, determines to find out just what happened to him. One slight snag - he has absolutely no idea who he is! Luckily, his rescuer has some skill with a scalpel and aside from the bullets, he removes a small gadget that contains details of a Swiss bank account that ultimately gives him a name, but asks far more questions than it answers. He goes to the US embassy, but that doesn't quite go to plan and in escaping picks up the feisty "Marie" (Franka Potente) and the two have to evade chasing police and would-be assassins as they try to discover the mystery of "Treadstone". It's a gripping, end-to-end spy thriller with short, refined, fight scenes that genuinely engenders suspense and peril. Robert Ludlum's story survives largely intact and Damon, alongside a suitably duplicitous performance from Brian Cox, deliver well.