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 Director
: Doug Liman
Starring
: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen,
Brian Cox, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Gabriel Mann.
Picture
2.35:1 Anamorphic, DD and DTS 5.1, Single-Side,Dual-Layer,
Keep Case
Running
Time : 113 mins
The
story:
He
was the perfect weapon until he became the target.
Discovered
floating in the Mediterranean with a couple of bullets in
his back by a passing fishing boat, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon)
has no idea who he is or why the details of a Swiss bank
account would have been surgically inserted under his skin.
The mystery deepens when he travels to Geneva and discovers
his security box is packed with six passports, cash in various
currencies and some guns. Paying $20,000 for a no questions
asked lift to Paris with a rootless European (Franka Potente),
Bourne slowly begins to piece together his background. Now
all he has to do is stay alive...
The
summary:
Based
on Robert Ludlum's cold war conspiracy novels, The Bourne
Identity has been hailed as the new James Bond. Whilst I'm
sceptical that the Bourne franchise could ever reach it's
twentieth film, if you're tired of the gimmicks and Bond's
increasingly distanced-from-reality stories then this is
a very real alternative. This goes back to the roots of
a good spy thriller and concentrates on an intelligent
story and believable characters. It also has it's share
of action scenes, but they
fit seamlessly into the story and only serve to crank the
pace up a notch or two rather than being the basis of the
story. The most spectacular sequence which well-deserves
a mention is Bourne's hi-speed car chase through the streets
of Paris in a Mini. Not quite 'The Italian Job' but close!
Matt
Damon struck me as an unlikely lead for a film like this
but he soon put any doubts out of my mind. Rather than just
charm his way through a scene, Damon uses his talent to
bring realism to his role especially as he starts to realise
his true identity. His
co-stars are predictably excellent too, especially Franka
Potente (of 'Blow' and 'Run Lola Run' fame). There's really
very little to fault, it's gripping stuff with only one
real flaw. The ending is slightly weak compared to everything
that has gone before it, as the story is wrapped up far
too quickly for my liking. However, don't let this put you
off as its still definitely worth the watch.
Transfer-wise
this is about as impressive as things get. The picture is
clean, crisp and vibrant and the audio is impressive in
both DD 5.1 and DTS mixes. The bonus material barely justifies
the special edition tag with the director's audio commentary
being the only extra with any lasting appeal.
The
Bourne Identity, courtesy of Universal Pictures Video, is
out to own on DVD from 10th March.
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