Originally published in the UCD College Tribune, 2002

“The Bourne Identity”, adapted from Robert Ludlum’s 1980 best seller of the same name, starts as it means to go on, fast. An amnesiac CIA agent (Matt Damon) is rescued from the sea off the French coast. His only means of identification is a bank account number embedded in his hip and two bullet wounds in his back.

Our hero travels to Zurich to investigate the account, and finds a large amount of money, a gun and his name. Jason Bourne. Bourne enlists Marie (Franka Potente) a German traveller, with the help of $20,000 to drive him to Paris in the hope of solving the puzzle of who he is, whilst dodging police and CIA assassins sent by Bourne’s superior (American Beauty’s Chris Cooper) to kill Bourne and cover up his failed mission.

Matt Damon seems an unlikely choice for the role of Bourne, but he rises to the occasion admirably. He convinces us that he is the bewildered Bourne, who finds the fact that he can make a weapon out of a pen, and sense danger at twenty paces, rather startling. Franka Potente adds chemistry to the equation and the result is high paced, action packed and very slick.

Although the production of “The Bourne Identity” was two years long, with script re-writes to beat the band, and Matt Damon making “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Spirit” in the meantime, director Doug Liman (“Go”) has managed to make even the most unreal of situations believable and delivers a film that keeps the audience guessing right the way through. “The Bourne Identity” is good fun and great entertainment. Let’s hope the rumours of a sequel pan out.