DVD Movie Rating for: The Bourne Identity

4 out of 5

Movie Plot of: The Bourne Identity

Based very loosely on Robert Ludlum's novel, the Bourne Identity is the story of a man whose wounded body is discovered by fisherman who nurse him back to health. He can remember nothing and begins to try to rebuild his memory based on clues such as the Swiss bank account, the number of which, is implanted in his hip. He soon realizes that he is being hunted and takes off with Marie on a search to find out who he is and why he is being hunted

On a stormy night, a young man is pulled out of the Mediterranean Sea by the crew of a fishing boat. Thinking the young man is dead, a curious fisherman with a scalpel finds two bullets in his back and a miniature laser device in his hip. The laser reveals a Swiss bank account number. But our wet hero isn't dead, and soon finds himself in Zurich. In the bank vault the young man discovers his name, Jason Bourne. In addition, he finds a baffling pile of different passports, all with his picture, and a huge pile of cash. In the U.S. Embassy, Jason Bourne discovers his love interest and travel partner, Marie, along with the fact that someone wants to kill him. Armed with a bag of money and mysterious martial arts skills, with Marie by his side, Bourne scours Paris for clues about his identity and past life... and finds himself in the middle of two assassination plots masterminded by the CIA.

DVD Production Details of: The Bourne Identity

Starring: Matt Damon, Franka Potente

Director: Doug Liman

Encoding: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about DVD formats.)

Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen

Studio: Universal Studios

DVD Features:

Production notes

Theatrical trailer(s)

Exclusive Alternate Ending

Explosive Deleted Scenes

The Making of The Bourne Identity

Feature Commentary with Director Doug Liman

Extreme Ways Music Video by Moby

Widescreen anamorphic format

Cast of the movie: The Bourne Identity

• Matt Damon .... Jason Bourne
• Franka Potente .... Marie Kreutz
• Chris Cooper (I) .... Conklin
• Clive Owen .... The Professor
• Brian Cox .... Ward Abbott
• Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje .... Wombosi
• Gabriel Mann .... Zorn
• Walt Goggins .... Research Tech (as Walton Goggins)
• Josh Hamilton (I) .... Research Tech
• Julia Stiles .... Nicolette
• Orso Maria Guerrini .... Giancarlo
• Tim Dutton (I) .... Eamon
• Denis Braccini .... Picot
• Nicky Naude .... Castel
• David Selburg .... Marshall

Photo Gallery of the movie: The Bourne Identity

Reviews of the movie: The Bourne Identity

Freely adapted from Robert Ludlum's 1980 bestseller, The Bourne Identity starts fast and never slows down. The twisting plot revs up in Zurich, where amnesiac CIA assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), with no memory of his name, profession, or recent activities, recruits a penniless German traveler (Run Lola Run's Franka Potente) to assist in solving the puzzle of his missing identity. While his CIA superior (Chris Cooper) dispatches assassins to kill Bourne and thus cover up his failed mission, Bourne exercises his lethal training to leave a trail of bodies from Switzerland to Paris. Director Doug Liman (Go) infuses Ludlum's intricate plotting with a maverick's eye for character detail, matching breathtaking action with the humorous, thrill-seeking chemistry of Damon and Potente. Previously made as a 1988 TV movie starring Richard Chamberlain, The Bourne Identity benefits from the sharp talent of rising stars, offering intelligent, crowd-pleasing excitement from start to finish.

I'm one of those lucky ones who don't read the book before I see the film, so I can take it on its own merits. I found it to be very good, and better than such recent high profile thrillers as "Minority Report" and the like. Matt Damon is good as the secret agent found floating in the Mediterranian Sea south of Marseilles and picked up for dead by fishermen. Poor guy, couldn't remember anything about who he was, but quickly figured out he must have had lots of training because his awareness and defense skills were second to none.

SPOILERS - PLEASE DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER, OR ELSE!

As everything unfolds we find out he was a highly trained assassin with a place in Paris and many different passports under many names. He had been sent by a highly covert operation to snuff an exiled former African leader who was threatening to expose things if he were not reinstated. But, an assassin with a conscience is a handicap and, when he saw the children with his target, could not do it and instead was shot and dumped. So the whole film is his trying to find out who he really is, while his covert organization thinks he has snapped so are trying to kill him. But he is too good, he always gets the upper hand, and there is a great chase scene through the streets of Paris, him driving a red Mini, police chasing in cars and on motorcycles. With Marie (Franka Potente) at his side. About halfway into the film they are alone, she begins to kiss him, and in his memory loss had a moment to try and figure out if he liked guys or girls! He figured it out...

In the end, he is presumed dead, the covert operation disbanded, Marie ends up with a cafe and motorbike rental on a small Greek island, and he finds her. Good movie, good ending. I suppose the reason I liked it so much is the way we pull for the underdog, here both Bourne and Marie, who only want to have a safe, normal life. The DVD picture is excellent and the surround sound is very dynamic and aggressive. Very high entertainment value.