Saturday 23 January 2010

(500) Films of Empire - Day 129

365 - The Bourne Identity - 3 stars
I had originally planned to do the Bourne trilogy back-to-back in one day but ultimately decided against it as would potentially be exposing the trilogy's one major flaw. That they all really have the same plot; an amnesiac assassin slowly remembers more about who he is, beats up people with household objects, has an awesome car chase and all while being tracked by government types in a room with lots of computers.
Yet this does not stop this being a really good action thriller.
Matt Damon (looking really young) is great as the spy/assassin who is slowly piecing things back together. Not only is he good at the action scenes but displays a great sense of surprise when he suddenly starts speaking foreign languages or takes down a cop with kung fu. Teaming up with a feisty Franka Potente, Bourne is also at his most talkative in the trilogy (but that isn't saying much!).
The highlights of the movie are the things that would become staples of the Bourne formula; fantastic, gritty hand-to-hand fight scenes proving that the pen is mightier than the sword and truly great cinematic car chase through Paris, driving a Mini drawing cool comparisons to The Italian Job (at one point during the Paris scenes I was sure I could see the hotel I stayed in).

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