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The Bourne Identity (Explosive Extended Edition) Customer Reviews (43 - 45 of 51 Reviews)

INTERESTING, INTELLIGENT, NON-STOP ACTION, SPY THRILLER...
This book is loosely based upon Robert Ludlum's book "The Bourne Identity". It is not a faithful adaptation nor is it intended to be. The book was just a springboard for something a little different. Having read the book and loved it, I also really enjoyed this movie. They are both excellent. Each forges its own path and entertains in its own way.

The plot is simple, or so it seems. A man is found in the ocean with two bullets in his back. He is rescued by a trawler of Italian fishermen. When he regains total consciousness, he has no idea who he is or what he was doing that caused him to be floating in the ocean in the condition in which he had been. He shortly discovers his name to be Jason Bourne, and it appears that a great many people are trying to kill him, though for what purpose he has no idea.

Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) also discovers that he has some unusual gifts and automatic, instinctive responses in certain situations. It turns out that he is a natural "Bourne" killer (pun intended). Jason teams up with a German expatriate named Maria (Franka Potente), and together they run into some heavy duty action, as they run for their lives. Meanwhile, a team of CIA trained assassins, dispatched by Bourne's boss, a CIA honcho named Conklin (Chris Cooper), are hot on the plucky couple's trail. There are a number of stunts and action scenes that are guaranteed to make one's palms start to sweat.

Matt Damon, looking very buff, portrays Bourne as an intelligent, resourceful character with a core of goodness imbedded in his assassin's psyche. He is simply terrific. Franka Potente is good as the free spirited Maria, who is also resourceful and Jason's love interest in the film, though, quite frankly, very few sparks fly between them. Chris Cooper is excellent as Bourne's boss, Conklin. He is coldly efficient and brutal in his mop-up operation. Unlike Bourne, he lacks that core of goodness.

This is an action packed, inventive, spy thriller that will hold the viewer in its thrall. This film revives that genre of film that was beginning to get a little stale. Kudos to Damon for giving the viewer something fresh and entertaining in this genre. This is a film that is well worth having in one's personal collection.

Bourne Identity
Huge Matt Damon fan, and this still... lacked. There was little to no chemistry between Matt and his costar so the ending... leaves some to be desired... it's contrived. The plot is good. The twists are good. But there's just something missing here. The oompph is not there somehow. Not sure exactly what could have been fixed, but you turn it off feeling somehow unsettled.

Pales in comparison to the book
I was really looking forward to this movie when it came out, as I am a huge fan of the original Ludlum books. (The Bourne Identity, Supremancy and Ultimatum) As is all too often the case in movies adapted from books, this version sacrifices far too much to get it to the big screen. The depth of the plot of the book is truly stunning - the twists and turns are intriguing and really serve to drive the book forward. The movie eliminates a lot of the back story to fit in the time limit. While I will agree that the action and pace of the movie are on the high side, I was very disappointed in how little of the original plot was preserved. And while I've loved Matt Damon in some of his other roles, I don't feel that he did a very good job of portraying the inner turmoil of Jason Bourne as he struggles through his amnesia and trying to discover who he is. If you haven't already read the book, then the movie might still be enjoyable, but fans of the original novel will likely find that this film version comes up short. If you've already seen the movie, please read the book - you won't regret it.

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