Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #815 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-03-10
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian
• Subtitled in: Portuguese, Polish, Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian
• 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

Special Features
Feature commentary with Director Doug Liman
The Birth of the Bourne Identity
Alternate ending
Deleted scenes with Director comments
Extended farmhouse scene
Moby Extreme Ways music video
Theatrical trailer
DVD Rom including Total Axess
DTS Sound

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

Excellent thriller
I can't comment on whether this film is as good as the original or even whether it is faithfully adapted from the book, but as a thriller, it certainly doesn't disappoint.

I have never been a huge fan of Matt Damon, having been admittedly put off him by an ex housemate who was obsessed. However, as Jason Bourne, a secret agent with amnesia, he puts in a superb performance.

I was on the edge of my seat throughout this movie and I particularly enjoyed the police chase where our hero successfully navigates a mini down a flights of stairs!

One of the best films I have seen in a long time and I am just plain silly to have left it so long to watch it!

Worth buying, as you will probably want to watch it more then once.

Superior to the made for DVD/TV sequels
Watched this after viewing the sequels and I'm struck by how much better it is than the later Bournes. Visually composed with a sense of how images work on the big screen, it has none of the frenetic and pointless and overwrought hand-held shots of the later films. Where shots are handheld, they work brilliantly well. Where shots are sped up, they work. Great sound, great music, great acting and great directing. #

All action, less cliche.
As the previous reviewer points out, The Bourne Identity avoids the obvious jokes which pepper films such as Casino Royale. Whilst he feels this is a bad thing, personally I found the lack of lame, witless one liners lifted the film and the trilogy in general above francises such as Bond and Die Hard, which tend to rely on both ridiculous stunts and the afformentioned gags to fill the voids left by the acting and plot.

Bourne Identity is a superior action thriller with a tight twisting story and great acting and fantastic fight scenes. aimed at people who like their heroes gritty and real, rather than smarmy and idiotic.