Eomer_King
Posts: 192
Joined: 18/5/2006
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The film that launched Matt Damon's career as an action star and cemented him as one of the leading A-list stars in the Holywood game, The Bourne Identity is fast-paced, ultra-cool and just so bloody good that it is hard to imagine the initial scepticism that greeted it. Directed by Doug Liman, a low-profile indie brat, and starring an Oscar winner best known for his dramatic turns in the likes of Good Will Hunting and The Talented Mr Ripley, this should have been, at best, an underwhelming, high-brow spy thriller punching way above its weight. Instead the result was a truly kinetic mix of intelligent plotting and intense action.
From the moment that Jason Bourne is found bobbing in the ocean, stricken with severe amnesia, an overwhelming sense of paranoia takes hold. As he comes to and begins a search to find out his real identity, we see shadowy suits at Langley discussing their prime killer's trip 'off the reservation.' It is testament to Damon's skill as an actor that the character's conflicting traits are so easily displayed without ever being unconvincing. Bourne can speak half a dozen languages, disappear at will and, as evinced early on, is a lethal killing machine the like of which only a couple of billion can buy. Yet at all times he appears gentle, polite and even vulnerable.
Indeed the audience is drawn into his quest, each new piece of information being learned in conjunction with the protagonist. The story is all the more compelling for the whispered exchanges in Washington regarding 'Bourne' compared with the all-American icon we see before us.
Various sub-plots swirl beneath the main focus, each pointing to the wider truth that Bourne so desperately seeks. The machinations of Chris Cooper's Conklin and Brian Cox's oily intelligence chief are pretty standard but this ever-watchable pair make the best use of the limited material. A chilling, near-silent extended cameo from Clive Owen centres on the job Bourne should have finished. Indeed the ruthlessness with which this character goes about his business gives an insight into our hero's previous incarnation; doped up on military training, impervious to the sort of emotion he so readily feels once amnesia strikes and his essentially decent sensibilities are set free.
While The Bourne Identity weighs in with the necessary dramatic nuances, the myriad action is just as impressive. An early sequence in the US Consulate, a brutal fist-fight in Paris (which will have viewers shifting uncomfortably in their seats), a Parisien car-chase and an equally taut final face-off are all perfectly executed. The chic, Euro-cool locations add a welcome twist to concepts that have been done a thousand times over. Liman's independent background clearly influences the overall tone, proceedings are viewed without the need for dazzling visual aids.
Liman employs no camera-trickery, no CGI and no tired old conceits. Instead the film breathes new life into a genre that, after the last Bond disaster, was in serious trouble of slipping into self-parody. With realism now the order of the day, The Bourne Identity has the necessary gravitas and dramatic resonance to give audiences what they crave for-intelligent, stylish, rip-roaring entertainment.
< Message edited by Eomer_King -- 9/11/2006 4:43:02 PM >
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