Because they shared a screenwriting Oscar for 1997's GOOD WILL HUNTING, Matt Damon and his good friend and collaborator Ben Affleck will always be linked in the public's mind.
Affleck, in the past couple of years, has ascended to mega-star status; he's starring in DAREDEVIL and will soon become the next Mr. Jennifer Lopez. Damon has not had as much success. The young Boston native has had his share of star turns (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, the vastly underrated THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY) but an equal number of duds (THE RAINMAKER, THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE). Which is unfortunate, for while Affleck might be more of a classic leading man, Damon is clearly the more talented of the two.
His presence does not transform THE BOURNE IDENTITY into a top-tier thriller, but Damon, like director Doug Liman (SWINGERS, GO) is a steady hand, and together the star and the director have made an action-crammed, if utterly predictable, movie.
Damon plays Jason Bourne, who, at the film's start, is near death. Unconscious and floating in the icy waters of the Atlantic, Bourne is saved only when a passing ship fishes him from the sea. When he finally wakes up, Bourne learns that he's recently been severely wounded; his back is full of bullet holes. Worse, Bourne can't remember a thing his name, his past, his entire life is all a blur.
The ship carrying Bourne docks in Switzerland, where its mysterious new passenger, with no ID, no money and no transportation, is relegated to camping out on park benches. Sleeping, needless to say, is not the stuff of which winning action films are made. But when a pair of Swiss cops try to harass Bourne for bedding down in public, he promptly (and stylishly) beats them senseless.
Bourne is as surprised as the police by his fistic prowess, and it becomes clear to the audience and to Bourne himself that he is not an unlucky everyman, but a hardened warrior. It is this bit of newfound knowledge that sets Bourne on the path of finding his elusive identity. The stack of cash he finds tucked away in a Swiss safe deposit box a bank account number has been implanted in his hip comes in handy too.
Meantime, Bourne is tailed, browbeaten, threatened and shot at by people who, unlike the movie's hero himself, know who he is and want him dead. And as is the case in many films that suggest a labyrinthine web of intrigue, the CIA plays a major role in the drama that is Bourne's life.
Flush with a pocketful of cash, Bourne offers a free-spirited stranger named Marie Kreutz (Franka Potente) $20,000 for a ride to Paris. She accepts, and becomes Bourne's cute, auburn-haired sidekick.
Damon and Potente play well off one another, and their exchanges imbue the film with a wry sense of humor. "So," Damon says to Potente as he motors down a tight alleyway behind the wheel of her subcompact. "We've got a bump coming up." Potente screams as she realizes that the "bump" is actually a flight of stairs, and that Bourne/Damon intends to navigate the car from street level to the subterranean.
The action throughout is fantastic, but what's disappointing aside from the film's hackneyed ending is the degree to which Liman under-employs two of the film's biggest talents. Brian Cox has repeatedly proved himself to be a masterly actor, but he barely registers as CIA heavy Ward Abbott. And the lovely Julia Stiles, playing some sort of glorified telephone operator, garners even less screen time.
This film is visually impressive, and its high drama Bourne shoots, kicks, runs, leaps and in one scene almost flies is served well by the DVD format. Liman and Damon make ample use of every inch of allotted widescreen space. The extras include a bunch of deleted scenes and some enlightening commentary from Liman. There's also a "making-of" feature that needn't be bothered with, and an alternate ending. And don't miss the music video featuring techno star Moby. On second thought, you can probably afford to skip Moby.
On relatively new terrain with this movie, Liman has handled himself well. For his part, Damon may forever labor in his buddy Affleck's increasingly long shadow. But as this film suggests, he will always be an interesting and highly watchable actor.
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