The Bourne Identity

November 15, 2020 - Matt Damon gets fished out of the ocean and thrown into a world where he doesn't know who he is – but someone sure does. And that someone sure wants him dead. Chris Cooper, Julia Stiles and Franke Potente co-star in this 2002 film that brought Robert Ludlum's amnesiac assassin from books to the big screen.

Damon plays Jason Bourne, who only knows that name because it's one name on one of the many passports he finds stashed in a safety deposit box in Zurich. His trip to the bank prompts a call to the CIA, and the chase is on. Bourne manages to sweet talk a young woman named Marie (Potente) into giving him a ride to Paris, where assassins lurk around every corner. Eventually, Bourne convinces Marie to take some money and run while he stays behind to face down the powerful forces who want Bourne to go bye-bye for good.

Overall review: *** I must have seen this film around the time it came out but don't seem to have reviewed it then. I recently came across it on TV and gave it another look. Aside from some out-of-date cell phones, the film holds up well. The action sequences are good, and the movie answered a question I had about why Bourne never completed the mission that led to his amnesia. A promising start to what turned out to be a very successful franchise.