Revisiting the "Bourne Trilogy" (2002-2007)

Finding myself both bored and itching to watch a movie (specifically, an exciting movie), I decided to borrow my roommates' DVDs of the Jason Bourne trilogy, starring Matt Damon. I leapt at the opportunity to see these movies again because, after careful thought, I realized that I had actually NEVER SEEN the first installment, "The Bourne Identity" (2002), which may have accounted for my mixed feelings about critical and commercial darling "The Bourne Ultimatum" (2007). Recently, I've become alarmed at the sometimes radical changes a rewatch has on my opinion of a film (I went from liking to loving "In Bruges" after a second viewing), and I thought that this would be a good time to not only FINALLY get the full Jason Bourne story, but also get a chance to rewatch "Ultimatum", which as I said earlier, left me cold and thinking, "now that's what I call 'overrated'!" So, with a chance to gain a fresh perspective, I sat down, plugged in my headphones, and pressed PLAY, and had the following reactions:

Part I: "The Bourne Identity" (2002) directed by Doug Liman: I'd always heard that, much like the X-Men trilogy (of which I still have not seen the first installment), the Bourne series had an opener that was solid, but greatly improved upon in its sequel. Now having seen "Identity", I have to say that I agree. I do not mean this as any insult. Liman's opening chapter of Jason Bourne's story is a blast, and filled with a nice, "old-school" espionage/conspiracy/mystery thriller feel, and relies more on regular guns and fists, than on technology that borders on the ludicrous. It wastes no time in throwing us into Bourne's life, which is itself a mystery, seeing as he awakens with near-total amnesia after being rescued a few miles off the coast of an eastern European nation. We also get a sense of grittiness, something almost unheard of in the "James Bond" films (excluding the Daniel Craig-starring ones) and other, more "slick" spy stories. Our hero is not a suave ladies man, but rather a trained killing machine, and yet we still feel something for him, and want to know his full past. Liman, who went on to direct "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" (2005) manages to set up a good amount of tension and paranoia, and the film moves nimbly between conversations and action, without either "side" ever feeling shortchanged. Damon, who gave a career-best performance only three years prior in "The Talented Mr. Ripley", doesn't really have to stretch his acting muscles here, but he makes for a compelling mystery man/protagonist regardless. Yet even in a cast filled with names like Damon, Chris Cooper, Brian Cox, and pre-Oscar nomination Clive Owen, the real discovery here is German actress Franka Potente (famous for 1998's "Run Lola Run") as Marie, who agrees to drive Bourne to Paris but ends up becoming his friend/sidekick of sorts. While not a fighter, she's tough, independent, and not afraid to disagree with Bourne, making her much more than the average love interest. Unfortunately, Liman doesn't do enough to create any real sparks between the two, though perhaps this is appropriate considering Bourne's mental state. Either way, they make for a fun duo to follow, perhaps because neither of them look like supermodels. It also makes the stellar action scenes feel more believable, whether it's a hand-to-hand fight or a car chase down narrow streets and against moving traffic. Tightly edited and boosted by John Powell's energetic score, the action and the moments leading up to action are exciting.

Unfortunately, Liman's approach, though tonally correct, at the end of the day feels a bit on the shallow side. His execution of the opening chapter is certainly admirable, and the film is FAR from being just another dumb action film, but for a opening filled with such potent material as amnesia/lost identity, Liman fails to dig deep enough, doing a disservice to his cast. It's this above all else that makes "The Bourne Identity" merely a solid first installment, of an overall much better action trilogy. But that's material for a different post.

Grade: B-