Following in the footsteps of close friend Ben Affleck, Matt Damon tries his hand at the literary spy genre – with robust results – in “The Bourne Identity.”
Damon plays Jason Bourne, hero of author Robert Ludlum’s beach book series and all-around bad mother spy who washes up like driftwood in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea with a slew of bullet wounds and a serious case of amnesia. Bits and pieces of his former life surface as he maneuvers around Switzerland, though a paper trail eventually points him to Paris, where the mystery of his former self deepens and the danger surrounding his existence escalates. In his first major action role, Damon conjures a mature confidence that meshes seamlessly with his physical agility. His spy proves extremely resourceful and surprisingly discreet, and director Doug Liman (“”Go””) comprehends how to direct him through sparklingly perilous action sequences. Even the amnesia angle, done to death in lesser thrillers, never feels gimmicky. The screenplay actually bothers to concoct a substantial role for Franka Potente as Bourne’s impromptu accomplice, Marie, but Chris Cooper and Julia Stiles receive the tediously thankless task of furthering the complicated plot from behind computer screens or in front of maps in remote command posts at the CIA. “”Bourne Identity”” uses thorough pacing typical of realistic international spy thrillers. While deliberate (some might say slow), it confirms that espionage can be compelling without being sexy, even with Matt Damon in the starring role.Grade: B+By Sean O’ConnellJune 13, 2002