The Bourne Identity

2002
Staring: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Gabriel Mann, Julia Stiles.
Director: Doug Liman.

Jason Bourne wakes up, rescued by fishermen, and does not remember a single aspect of his life. Piecing together what exactly happened to him and all the events leading up to it. He soon realizes that there’s something serious wrong with his life, and that he’s in great danger from someone – unbeknownst to him it is the US Government themselves, operating a secret program called Treadstone – a covert CIA operation.

The intrigue surrounding his “disappearance” from the program and his subsequent reappearance in Europe, poking his head into business that may expose the entire CIA’s covert program lead to a wild goose chase across Europe. With European police after him as well as the US Government, can Jason Bourne continue to hide for very long before finding out the truth?

The (best) worst excuse for disliking the film was when I heard that someone was flabbergasted that since the movie implies he “can't remember anything”, and that if he didn’t remember anything “then why is he acting like a criminal”? Hilarity. Almost as bad as someone claiming that if he was (in fact) a government secret agent, how could he fail a mission? Apparently people aren’t human anymore! The gall of people to be only human! It’s also nothing like the novel it is based on, but that’s like disliking Goldfinger, or The Spy Who Loved Me because it doesn’t keep faithful to the original story. The point is moot.

The sequels are surprisingly as good, and in many respects better than this film.

****/*****