Holiday Special: The Bourne Identity

An Explosive Christmas

The Bourne Identity (2002): A man is picked up by a fishing boat, bullet-riddled and suffering from amnesia, before racing to elude assassins and regain his memory.

Merry Christmas everyone! I have a tradition going here at Enter the Movies. For those who don't know, every year I celebrate Christmas by reviewing a film that has absolutely nothing to do with the holiday, but rather the events of the film take place around the holiday. For example, two years ago I reviewed Die Hard, which is quite possibly the most famous example of this. However a few months ago, (end of October, to be exact) I was watching The Bourne Identity for the first time (yes, I had never seen the film get over it) and realized this film would be perfect to continue this tradition. So, I'll date when I'm writing this review. It is October 26th. And I'm writing my Christmas review. And you think I procrastinate.....

There's a reason this series has become a huge franchise. This movie is excellent. It has an extremely original and well-executed premise. The idea of completely losing your memory and having to figure out why people want to kill you makes for an extremely fun film. Fortunately for the viewer, Jason Bourne is a James Bond-level spy, otherwise this 119 minute film would've lasted about 20 minutes when the first assassin takes him completely by surprise and kills him immediately. But moving on! (Believe me I'm aware I can't actually hold that against the film) Matt Damon is awesome. Man do I love Matt Damon! This may be the role that made him the superstar he is today, and it's easy to see why. He is absolutely awesome as Jason Bourne. The supporting cast is full of 90's holdovers, including a female lead that just screams 90's in every sense of her fashion and style. 

Honestly this might be my biggest fault with the film. I mean obviously a film that came out in 2002 and has technology be a key component of the story is going to be outdated 13 years later. But, with the exception of Matt Damon, the acting in this film also makes this film pretty dated. I've always wondered if actors that were big in a certain decade would make that film feel like it's from said decade. And while I think the answer to that question is "It depends on the film." Here it's definitely a resounding yes. Franka Potente, the female lead and a relative newcomer before this film, was the epitome of a 90's female lead even if she didn't mean to be. But other than that fault, there really isn't much else I can find wrong with this film.

Overall, The Bourne Identity is an excellent film. While yes, it is a mindless popcorn action flick, it is definitely one of the best to come out of this genre in the 2000's. And it is very Christmas-y. So why bother with films like Polar Express and How the Grinch Stole Christmas when you can watch The Bourne Identity? If you haven't seen this film, change that. It will be 2 hours of your life well spent. Merry Christmas everyone!

The Critique: While rather dated at this point, The Bourne Identity delivers an interesting premise, awesome acting, and great visuals. A great action film even today. And Christmas.

The Recommendation: If you like action films and haven't seen this film, you should change that. 'Nuff said.

Rewatchability: High

The Verdict: 8/10 Great.

Merry Christmas everyone! Now this review gets to sit in my drafts folder for 2 months....


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