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Bourne Identity, The
MCA/Universal Pictures


8.0

based on 38 reviews
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based on 86 votes
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FILM:

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for violence and some language

Starring Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Clive Owen, Chris Cooper, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Julia Stiles, and Brian Cox

Robert Ludlum's international thriller gets an edgy 21st century spin from director Doug Liman.

GENRE(S):	Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	Tony Gilroy W. Blake Herron Robert Ludlum (novel)
DIRECTED BY:	Doug Liman
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: January 21, 2003 Video: January 21, 2003 Theatrical: June 14, 2002
RUNNING TIME:	113 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	Czech Republic / USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Variety Todd McCarthy

A first-rate thriller with grit and intrigue to spare.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

One of those rare thrillers where the cops aren't fools, villains don't turn stupid at crucial moments, and career assassins seldom miss targets.

USA Today Mike Clark

Blisteringly fast, Bourne also has a strong or striking supporting actor around every corner: Chris Cooper, Brian Cox, Julia Stiles and Clive Owen in roles that range from meaty to amazingly small.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

Somehow the movie works like a clock. Its scenes and sensibility are all more than familiar, but it exudes a kind of nostalgic spy-movie charm and, at the same time, is so fresh and free of the usual thriller nonsense that it all seems to be happening for the first time.

Slate David Edelstein

The movie is a generic paranoid espionage fantasy, but its proportions are refreshingly correct. It moves quickly, adroitly, and without fuss.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

This is an entertainment that really entertains because any number of interesting and unexpected choices were made, starting with the selection of Doug Liman as the director.

Salon.com Charles Taylor

Entertaining, handsome and gripping, The Bourne Identity is something of an anomaly among big-budget summer blockbusters: a thriller with some brains and feeling behind it, more attuned to story and character than to spectacle.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

The outcome is distinctive and entertaining. There's no way you'd mistake this for James Bond, and no reason you would want to.

New Times (L.A.) Robert Wilonsky

Not only an exceptional thriller, but a transcendent summer movie: It assumes, for two hours, you've brain and heart enough to stick with a film that doesn't condescend, doesn't beat you up and doesn't dumb you to death.

Newsweek David Ansen

It’s as formulaic as "The Sum of All Fears," but it feels fresher, hipper, less inflated.

The New York Times Dana Stevens

The Bourne Identity, like its hero, triumphs through sheer unreflective professionalism. It is, by today's standards, a modest thriller, with a self-contained storyline and with very few big special effects.

Chicago Reader Hank Sartin

The full-throttle approach of director Doug Liman (Swingers, Go) is impressive.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

There isn't a dull or dumb moment in this movie.

Time Richard Schickel

The result is an escapist fantasy that is -- Damon's and Potente's persuasive performances aside -- as weightless and inconsequential as a musical. And at the moment every bit as welcome.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Like its protagonist, it never hands you explanations on a silver platter, and it makes you think a bit, something far too few thrillers do these days.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Damon, starring in his first full-fledged action pic, brings a determined bearing and believability to the proceedings.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Nicely paced and fits the bill for those in search of two hours of spy-based action and martial arts. The movie has credibility issues, but none are insurmountable in the name of entertainment.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

A skillful action movie about a plot that exists only to support a skillful action movie. The entire story is a set-up for the martial arts and chases. Because they are done well, because the movie is well-crafted and acted, we give it a pass. Too bad it's not about something.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

The Bourne Identity keeps you in a state of nervous excitation from the opening shot to the fade-out and has a thread of deadpan humor that vibrates alongside the main action like a third rail quivering next to a hurtling train.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

Thrillers have become so gnawingly generic that The Bourne Identity wakes the senses without leaning on cliché and soundtrack.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

The result is not only entertaining but also refreshing, a shameless crowd-pleaser with a healthy cynicism about itself.

Chicago Tribune Mark Caro

Liman packs enough firepower into The Bourne Identity to please the summer action fan, including a reshot climax that contains one of the niftier stunts I've seen recently. The centerpiece action sequence is a bravura car chase through Paris, yet the moments that bookend it are equally impressive.

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

Though it's clearly meant to be character-driven, the movie is thrown out of whack by a total lack of chemistry between the leads, and some great acting (Clive Owen, Chris Cooper, Brian Cox) on the side.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Director Doug Liman -- the hip skipper of "Swingers" and "Go" -- makes all the familiar dirty business seem fun and almost human. In these dog days, Bourne earns what passes as high praise: It doesn't suck.

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

A lean, deftly shot, well-acted, weirdly retro thriller that recalls a raft of '60s and '70s European-set spy pictures. There are even moments when you hope it could turn into a modern "Charade."

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

The problems with Damon's character are the problem with the movie: It's about plot mechanics, not heart and soul.

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

As for Damon, this may not be a performance so much as an appearance. But he cares so utterly, it works.

TV Guide Ken Fox

This savvy adaptation of Robert Ludlum's action-clogged 1980 bestseller benefits from the fact that the filmmakers were smart enough to throw out most of the book's preposterous spills and thrills and concentrate instead on its intriguing central character.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

May be a bloodless piece of thriller craftsmanship, but at a time when craft has become negligible, its efficiency and whipcrack timing are increasingly uncommon virtues.

Film Threat Michael Dequina

Makes one interested in seeing the inevitable sequel, but one is also left to somewhat question the worth of sitting through this first installment.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

Isn't a bad movie so much as one that feels like an amateur version of material from more accomplished works -- a movie that not only isn't sure what it really is but doesn't seem terribly much to care.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

It has a few whispers of intrigue, but at the heart of The Bourne Identity lies a dispiriting paradox: The more that Jason Bourne learns about himself, the less arresting he seems.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Films borrow tricks from pictures made years ago -- try to watch Bourne without thinking of "The Manchurian Candidate."

The New Yorker David Denby

Damon may be too young, too unformed, to play an amnesiac. Gazing at that blank face, we can't imagine that Bourne has any experiences or memories to forget. [17 & 24 June 2002, p. 176]

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

Next time Damon will have to find a worthier vehicle. As the intended start of a franchise, The Bourne Identity is a bit of a bust.

New York Magazine Peter Rainer

All this is diverting but also borderline dull.

Village Voice J. Hoberman

Banal big-budget adaptation of Robert Ludlum's 1980 espionage thriller.

Boston Globe Renee Graham

The best audiences can hope for is that they, too, get amnesia and forget they ever saw this movie.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 86 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Paul J gave it a9:
This movie was intense and at the same time, made you think. I loved it!

Jason gave it a10:
Can't believe this has weakest rating out of trilogy. Wonderful movie with scenes to remember. Two other ones are just too fast and without decent plot. Nice work, one of my favorites

Clint T. gave it an8:
This is the first and strongest of the Bourne trilogy, based on the novels by Robert Ludlum. It deviates greatly from the books but is no less of a film for that. It’s a tense gritty thriller that has a decidedly “cold” feel about it. The acting is tough and the dialogue is minimal. The realistic look at the world of spy craft is a refreshing change from the glossy norm and the CIA are portrayed as the bad guys. The car chase in this film is notably good, though it really isn’t all that original. It heavily resembles both The Italian Job (the Mini used) and Ronin (the setting and destructive style of chase) but remains exciting and memorable. One thing that let this film (and its sequels) down was the appalling style of camerawork. It looks hand-held and shaky and it really is hard to concentrate and follow exactly what is happening on screen. I found the plot hard to follow in spots (as did many others I spoke to) but despite the differences between the book and the film, reading the book helped understand the film a little more. I strongly suggest viewing this film if you haven’t already. I’ve seen it five times or thereabouts and it hasn’t lost its appeal yet. This is a highly atmospheric movie that has plenty of twists and notable scenes. After this you’ll be asking yourself “who do I prefer, Matt Damon as Jason Bourne or Daniel Craig as James Bond?” It really is a must see. Despite the shaky camerawork and hard to follow plot, this film gets an 8 out of 10.

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
Okay, I am not a spy movie fan. I hate James Bond. But I enjoyed this movie. The problem with films like 007 is that they have no substance and the storyline seems the same in each movie. In this film, Jason Bourne is cursed with amnesia, and yet he knows how to kick some butt. Every single about the film is great. I'm looking forward to see The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. Overall, I give The Bourne Identity: 10/10.

Riren gave it an8:
As far as action movies go, The Bourne Identity has a charm like few others. Its world is simply more real. The people look closer to average, vehicles are worn down, and the clothing isn't gawdy or fashionable. Another movie would have slick cars and immaculately groomed cast members who would be CG'd through their fight scenes. Here, so much of what you see feels genuine that it's easier to fall into, and easier to like the characters, for what they are. Damon in fits particularly well into the role of amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne. Once the action kicks in it doesn't try to reach the bar that The Matrix or X-Men set, but rather follows a more realistic, but still entertaining kind of action. And because it's unafraid to be what it is, it's its own kind of cool. If you have this is one hand and another action flick in the other, do yourself a favor and pick this.

Fred B. gave it a9:
I loved this movie. It had lots of action and suspense. I think Matt Damon did a great job bringing Jason Bourne to life. I can't wait till the third one.

Dan C. gave it a9:
An incredibly satisfying thriller because it's so smartly done - all the usual action movie cliches are absent, and thank goodness. Damon is very good. Franka Potente is outstanding. One of my favorites of recent years. It deserves more credit for its intelligence and sheer entertainment value.

Bourne Identity, The MCA/Universal Pictures

Bourne Identity, The
MCA/Universal Pictures