The Bourne Identity DVD > Reviews

Advantages: Matt Damon in a vest
Disadvantages: The ending was a bit tepid

When the crew of a trawler spot a distress beacon floating in the water off the coast of France, they are shocked to find that the beacon is attached to the body of a young man. Unconscious, and injured from extensive bullet wounds, the man’s body yields no clues as to his identity. When he awakes, he is suffering from amnesia, but the crew tend to his wounds, and offer him passage to shore. The only clue to his identity lies in a computer chip, implanted ... Read review

Advantages: Great storyline, good acting, good directing.
Disadvantages: None

The Bourne Identity is a film from the first of three books written by Robert Ludlum about CIA agent Jason Bourne. Ludlum, who has written nearly two dozen best sellers, was also the Executive Producer for the film. The film is directed by Doug Liman who has Swingers and Go under his belt. He has certainly had long term experience in filming as he started making short films at the tender age of seven and on into junior high school! The general ... Read review

Advantages: Franka Potente and the scenes without Matt Damon.
Disadvantages: I bet Matt Damon wishes he really did have amnesia, then he could forget about Good Will Hunting.

The beauty of The Fugitive was that we didn’t know the whole story until the very end of the movie and therefore all the tension builds up until it explodes in the wonderful finale. We know that he’s innocent and we know who did it, but we don’t know why. All the secrets are kept secret until the final showdown because it makes for entertaining cinema. Minority Report is similar (hero on the run, suspected killer, breathtaking final revelations) and ... Read review

Advantages: Generally good action and fight scenes.
Disadvantages: Lacklustre conclusion.

The Bourne Identity is one of those spy, secret agent type, action movies with a young fresh faced Matt Damon in the leading role, delivering a performance that roughly translates as "Hey there Schwarzenegger, Stallone and Willis, mines bigger than yours!" Well, something like that. Anyway, maybe he thought he could top Ben Affleck's The Sum of All Fears. Directed by - Doug Liman Starring - Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, ... Read review

Advantages: It's a cool title...
Disadvantages: ...but the review's not too good

...and you can't remember who the hell you are, or what your life has been like. Then you find out soon afterwards that a bunch of security blokes are trying to kill you, and you don't have a clue why. I could imagine you'd be a little cheesed off. But this is the problem the man in the Bourne Identity faces. Discovered unconscious by a fishing boat in the Mediterranean Sea, the crew of the boat initially thought the man (played by Matt Damon) was ... Read review

Advantages: Entertaining, not TOO far fetched, car chases in Minis are always great
Disadvantages: Not for purists, lacks that 'blockbuster' feel, stupid development near the end, easily misconstrued as having a "who am I?" plot hook

The Bourne Identity is based upon a Robert Ludlum book but thankfully steers well clear of trying to follow it TOO closely, which is a mistake often made by book-film adaptations. Some may remember a 1980's mini series which unsuccessfully tried to bring the same book to the screen in around 4 hours and failed miserably by sticking too close to the text for example - this movie takes the general idea and gets on with the action instead which works ... Read review

Advantages: Interesting story line, superb acting, good stunts and car chases
Disadvantages: Nothing springs to mind except avid fans of the books may not like the film

...two week period... what is the world coming to?! Having recently upped sticks and departed the sunny North Wales shore to be with my other half in the cold North East, I've found myself watching many, many more films. This is because he has a rather impressive collection of videos and DVDs. (Given I've only owned one DVD in my entire life, I suppose anything more than 5 DVDs would be an impressive collection to me, but when I say its impressive, ... Read review

Advantages: Good action scenes and a convincing performance by Matt damon
Disadvantages: A slightly weak ending

...After being pulled out of the sea by a French trawler crew, he can neither remember how he got there, or even who he is. After removing the bullets from his back the trawlers doctor? also finds an electronic chip embedded under Bourne's skin, and the search begins. For this chip contains the location and number of a Swiss bank account. Fast forward to the bank in Zurich where Bourne discovers that the account is actually for a safety deposit box, ... Read review

Advantages: Damon's terrific performance and Limans electric direction
Disadvantages: Why oh why didn't they stay more faithful to the book

...ways this is one of the hardest movie reviews I’ve ever written and will probably ever write, largely because, depending on what stance I take my opinion is literally poles apart. On the one hand it is an intelligent, original and highly impressive action film with two strong lead performances, a coherent and suspense-ridden plot and exceptional action sequences. On the other it is an adaptation of a book, not just any book mind, but one of ... Read review

Advantages: Action sequences, Car chase scene, Matt Damon being more Jet Li than Mr Ripley
Disadvantages: Plotholes, Slow in places, Its been done before

...over it. Okay so the twin gun is not in there, the slow motion is not in there and hell even the trademark seagulls aren’t in here but the action sequences and whole premise of the story is very John Woo reminding me of his best films, The Killer and Hard Boiled. Someone was definitely watching his films when they made this. Based on a book of the same name, The Bourne Identity is another of the films that got put back a year due to the events ... Read review

Advantages: Car chase, performances and storyline.
Disadvantages: Not as much action as I would have thought.

...re-released on DVD just before the release of the second film in the Bourne trilogy 'The Bourne Supremacy'. The re-release version will feature a new opening to the film which will differ from the one I have explained below. As of yet I don't know what the new opening to the film will be so you'll have to ask someone who has read the book. Though I'm not sure if this different opening will have anything to do with the book at all. The Bourne Identity ... Read review

Advantages: Slick action sequences, good supporting cast
Disadvantages: Lack of dialogue, boring leading man

The Bourne Identity centres around Jason Bourne, a man who is found floating in the Mediterranean Sea with two bullets in his back and a Swiss bank account number in his thigh. The only problem is, he can’t remember who he is or how he got there. The fact that he has extensive knowledge of martial arts, weaponry and languages, doesn’t seem to give him any clues. Okay, so it’s about an amnesiac secret agent - so far, so Long Kiss ... Read review