Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32359 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-08-09
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL, Special Edition, Widescreen
• Original language: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 113 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
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. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVD:
Created to take advantage of the sequel playing in cinemas at the same time as this release, the "Explosive Extended" edition of The Bourne Identity is neither. Unlike many special editions, this is a still a single disc and several of the original DVD features--like the DTS and commentary tracks--are jettisoned for more extras, most of which are lightweight 3- to 6-minute featurettes. The new beginning and ending is incorrectly advertised as an extended edition--the feature is the same as the theatrical, and the new footage is seen à la carte, with explanations. These "bookend scenes" were shot after 9/11, an insurance policy for the filmmakers who were unsure how a spy film would play. Fortunately, the scenes were dropped and the results here are more a curio than anything else. The new featurettes are ordinary filler, pumped up with film clips and hooks for the sequel. A nice exception is a sound-mix segment and an all-too-quick recollection of author Robert Ludlum. Funny that "explosive" would be word chosen to represent a film that was quite proud of going out of its way not to be just a dumb, explosion-filled action film. --Doug Thomas

Synopsis
As The Bourne Identity begins, a man who may or may not be Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is found floating in the Mediterranean Sea and is hauled onto a fishing boat. When the ship's doctor examines the unconscious castaway, he discovers two bullet wounds and an implanted device that displays a Swiss bank account number. With nothing but this code, the amnesiac Bourne travels to Zurich and gains access to a safe-deposit box containing a gun, thousands of dollars in various currencies, and valid passports from numerous countries--each listing a different identity. Within minutes, Bourne is on the run from a seemingly ever-present agency, relying on language and fighting skills he didn't even know he possessed. Offering $20,000 for a ride to Paris, Bourne gains the reluctant help of the nomadic Marie (Franka Potente). Meanwhile, the shadowy organization, headed by a tough-talking bureaucrat (Chris Cooper), sends numerous assassins (including the Professor, played by Clive Owen) after Bourne and Marie. As their situation grows more perilous, the two strangers struggle to find out who Bourne really is and why they are being hunted.
Doug Liman's adaptation of Robert Ludlum's best-selling novel is a remarkable exercise in straightforward storytelling, with the director wisely choosing to focus on Bourne and his quest for identity. The fight sequences are thrilling, but never overly glamorized, and the film's pacing is engaging and deliberate. Damon, who displays genuine bewilderment as his character discovers his almost-superhuman abilities, anchors the proceedings with the subtle charm of an unlikely action hero. Potente also shines as Bourne's road companion, a savvy woman who slowly builds an utterly believable relationship with the confused man. Bearing distinct affinity for its European setting and classic Hollywood suspense films, The Bourne Identity succeeds as an unusually smart character-driven thriller.

Customer Reviews

Still Bourne.......but still good
If you have read the book, the film is a shock as the story line has little resemblance. Although the stories start the same, the book and the film soon diverge. Gone are the clever twists and turns, gone is the mystery and bournes feeling of utter dispair as sinister events emerge around him. Gone is the core of the original story, the international terrorist Carlos the Jackal and the complex intrigue around him, the international conspiracies, the betrayals and gone is the crucial leading lady (replaced by a much weaker character). The eighties version, with Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith was much truer to the book.
Having said all that, this film is very good. You become sympathetic to Bourne (well played by Matt Damon) who struggles as the wounded amnesiac who discovers his mulitple identities, that everyone he meets either wants to arrest him or kill him and his ability to disarm and disable police, soldiers and assasins alike. He slowly works out who is behind his problems, his true identity and role in the dangerous world he finds himself in. His leading lady doesn't need to be the strong willed doctor of the book, because there is less for her to contend with in this simplified plot.
The car chase is good, the martial arts are good and the modified story, despite some obvious flaws is good enough.

This is worth watching if the proper tale of Bourne and his complex Identity doesn't bother you.

Stylish, slick...all in all, a fun ride.
A man presumed dead is discovered near the coast of France by a group of fishermen. He is suffering from amnesia and, having discovered the number to a Swiss bank account embedded into his hip, travels to Zurich in the hopes of discovering his true identity. His life is further complicated upon arriving in Switzerland, where he discovers a safety deposit box containing passports - each of which his and yet each of which for a different country of citizenship – along with a linguistic ability he didn’t know he had, and an exceptional knowledge of martial arts.

And so Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) embarks on a pan-European trip, in the search for his true identity, whilst at the same time avoiding those he had previously worked for, picking up German-born Marie (Franke Potenta) along the way, who of course complicates his life even more.

The Bourne Identity is a more unconventional action film than you will have seen up to now, but what it lacks in audacity it makes up for in ingenuity. Director Doug Liman (Swingers, Go) once again shows his ability to make films that quite simply look pretty damn cool – the pace of the film is great fun for the audience to watch – and he manages to extract some great performances from his cast.

Matt Damon is, admittedly, a somewhat unlikely action hero, but he manages to pull the role of Bourne off with a great deal of panache. The fighting scenes are interestingly conceived, and the lack of formulaic action sequences is a breath of fresh air. Potenta, Cooper and Owen, all of whom match Damon in terms of enthusiasm and energy, also seem to be enjoying the ride.

It’s not the most intellectual film you’ll ever see, by any stretch of the imagination – but at the end of the day, it’s got action, romance and a bit of a laugh…and it’s definitely worth your time.

Brilliant
The Bourne Identity is an excellent, believable action adventure. It is tightly scripted, very well acted, tautly directed and packed with realistic action (including some very good car chases) and genuine tension. I suspect that one of the reasons that I (and others) like this film so much is that I stumbled across it by chance, watched it with no real expectations and was blown away by how good it was.

The plot is decent with some interesting twists. Jason Bourne is an assassin who fails on a mission, the film begins with him being rescued from the ocean. The rest of the film follows him as he attempts to discover who he is while avoiding the multitude of people trying to kill him.

Matt Damon (much to my surprise) is excellent as the amnesiac Jason Bourne and the supporting cast, particularly Franka Potente, Chris Cooper and Brian Cox, are very good.

Excellent entertainment