Movie Review: The Bourne Identity (2002)

It's interesting how interesting characters, good story lines, and an entertaining movie never gets old. We can see the same movie over and over and over again and still not tire of it's spark. The Bourne Identity is a 2002 movie directed by Doug Liman that does just that. It's a story that seems so familiar, yet retains all originality. The movie features Matt Damon, Christopher Cooper, Brian Cox, and Julia Stiles (just to name some of them) and follows the character of Damon's as he washes up on a boat with no memory of who he is. The one thing that he has, is incredible physical skill and talent. As the movie progresses, Jason Bourne slowly peels back the door of suspense as we learn who he is as well as his past. I'm going to come forward and say it: The Bourne Identity is a great movie and is one of Matt Damon's best performances of his entire acting career. First, everybody on screen was great in their roles. In fact, one of the best parts of this movie is just simply watching the character Jason Bourne. He's much more intriguing than one might expect. He does a lot without saying much. In fact, Bourne Identity is so great because it tells a story and shows emotions without having a ton of dialogue. The movie shows you the story. It's a great screenplay because it understands how a film like this should be. Just because we are in the midst of explosions and spy-wear does not mean a story that gets left alone to whoever comes along. It has very little exposition which does lead me to my one flaw (and the reason why it doesn't register as four star material) which is that there are moments where I felt actually confused within the story. I won't spoil anything, but two characters are working for some other characters and that doesn't get revealed. Until of course the end. Then things start to come together. This movie is also so great because of how Bourne's true self is revealed to us. The movie shows us what his character is thinking and feeling and we get more of a sense of his identity. Despite the almost 2 hour runtime, this movie does end in an abrupt manner, leaving the viewer wanting more. Overall, The Bourne Identity is a great movie as a thriller with interesting characters, a clever screenplay and phenomenal performances from all actors and actresses. Three stars.