The Bourne Identity (2002 film)

"Bourne 1" redirects here. For the novel, see The Bourne Identity (novel). For the 1988 television film, see The Bourne Identity (1988 film).
The Bourne Identity

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Doug Liman
Produced by
Screenplay by
Based on The Bourne Identity 
by Robert Ludlum
Starring
Music by John Powell
Cinematography Oliver Wood
Edited by Saar Klein
Production
company
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates
 June 14, 2002 (2002-06-14)
Running time
 118 minutes
Country
  • United States
  • Germany[1]
Language English
Italian
Dutch
German
French
Budget $60 million[2]
Box office $214 million[2]

The Bourne Identity is a 2002 American-German[1] action spy thriller film adaptation of Robert Ludlum's novel of the same name. It stars Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, a man suffering from extreme memory loss and attempting to discover his true identity amidst a clandestine conspiracy within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The film also features Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Julia Stiles, Brian Cox and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. This, the first in the Bourne film series, is followed by The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), The Bourne Legacy (2012) and Jason Bourne (2016).

The film was directed by Doug Liman and adapted for the screen by Tony Gilroy and William Blake Herron. Although Robert Ludlum died in 2001, he is credited as the film's producer alongside Frank Marshall. Universal Pictures released the film to theatres in the United States on June 14, 2002, and it received a positive critical and public reaction.

Plot

In the Mediterranean Sea, Italian fishermen rescue an unconscious American (Matt Damon) floating adrift with two gunshot wounds in his back. They tend to his wounds, and when the man wakes, they find he suffers from dissociative amnesia. He has no memory of his own identity, while he retains his speech and finds himself capable of advanced combat skills and fluency in several languages. The skipper finds a tiny laser projector under the man's hip that, when activated, gives a number of a safe deposit box in Zürich. Upon landing, the man heads to investigate the box. Arriving at the bank, the man finds the box contains a large sum of money in various currencies, numerous passports and identity cards with his picture on all of them, and a handgun. The man takes everything but the gun, and leaves, opting to use the name on the American passport, Jason Bourne.

A bank employee contacts Operation Treadstone, a CIA black operation program after Bourne's departure. Treadstone's head, Alexander Conklin (Chris Cooper), contacts CIA Deputy Director Ward Abbott (Brian Cox) about the reappearance of Bourne. Abbott warns that Bourne, a CIA agent, had been assigned the silent assassination of exiled African dictator Nykwana Wombosi (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), but the attempt failed, and Bourne must be dealt with. Conklin activates three agents to take down Bourne: Castel (Nicky Naude), Manheim (Russell Levy), and the Professor (Clive Owen), while also issuing alerts to local police to capture Bourne.

Bourne attempts to get more information from the U.S. consulate, but he is discovered by guards. He evades capture, leaves the embassy, and gives a German woman, Marie Helena Kreutz (Franka Potente), $20,000 to drive him to an address in Paris listed on his French driving license. At the address, an apartment, he hits redial on the phone and reaches a hotel. He inquires about the names on his passports there, learning that a "John Michael Kane" had been registered but died two weeks prior in a car accident. Castel ambushes them in the apartment, but Bourne gets the upper hand. Instead of allowing himself to be interrogated, Castel throws himself out a window to his death. Kreutz finds wanted posters of Bourne and herself, and agrees to continue to help Bourne.

Meanwhile, Wombosi approaches the police about the attempt on his life. Conklin, having anticipated this, had planted a body in the Paris morgue to appear as the assailant, but Wombosi is not fooled and threatens to report this. The Professor assassinates Wombosi on Conklin's orders. Bourne, posing as Kane, learns about Wombosi's yacht, and that the assailant had been shot twice during the escape; Bourne now considers himself to have been the assailant. He and Kreutz take refuge at the French countryside home of her ex-lover Eamon (Tim Dutton) and his children. Conklin tracks their position and sends the Professor there, but Bourne mortally wounds him. The Professor reveals their shared connection to Treadstone before dying. He sends Kreutz, Eamon and his children away for their protection, and then contacts Conklin via the Professor's phone to arrange a meet. From a rooftop near the arranged location in Paris, Bourne sees Conklin has brought backup, so abandons the meeting but uses the opportunity to place a tracking device on his car, leading him to the Treadstone's safe house.

Bourne breaks in and holds Conklin and logistics technician Nicolette "Nicky" Parsons (Julia Stiles) at gunpoint. Bourne starts to recall fully the assassination attempt through successive flashbacks. As Kane, and working under orders from Treadstone, Bourne infiltrated Wombosi's yacht but could not bring himself to kill Wombosi while Wombosi's children were present, and instead fled, being shot at during his escape. Bourne announces he is resigning from Treadstone and not to be followed. As agents descend on the safehouse, Bourne fights his way free. Meanwhile, when Conklin goes to leave the safe house, he is killed by Manheim, who was ordered to terminate Treadstone by Abbott.

Abbott reports on the dismissal of Treadstone before an oversight committee but announces a new project codenamed "Blackbriar". Some time later, Bourne finds Kreutz renting out scooters to tourists on Mykonos, and the two reunite.

Cast

Damon in 2001

Production

Development

Director Doug Liman stated that he had been a fan of the source novel by Robert Ludlum since he read it in high school. Near the end of production of Liman's previous film Swingers, Liman decided to develop a film adaptation of the novel. After more than two years of securing rights to the book from Warner Bros. and a further year of screenplay development with screenwriter Tony Gilroy, the film went through two years of production.[3] Universal Pictures acquired the film rights to Ludlum's books in the hopes of starting a new film franchise.[4] William Blake Herron was brought in to rewrite the script in 1999.[5]

The inner workings of the fictitious Treadstone organization were inspired by Liman's father's job in the National Security Agency (NSA) under Ronald Reagan. Of particular inspiration were Liman's father's memoirs regarding his involvement in the investigation of the Iran-Contra affair. Many aspects of the Alexander Conklin character were based on his father's recollections of Oliver North. Liman admitted that he jettisoned much of the content of the novel beyond the central premise, in order to modernize the material and to conform it to his own beliefs regarding United States foreign policy. However, Liman was careful not to cram his political views down "the audience's throat". There were initial concerns regarding the film's possible obsolescence and overall reception in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, but these concerns proved groundless.[3]

Casting

Liman approached a wide range of actors for the role of Bourne, including Brad Pitt,[4] who turned it down to star in Spy Game,[6] as well as Russell Crowe and Sylvester Stallone, before he eventually cast Damon. Liman found that Damon understood and appreciated that, though The Bourne Identity would have its share of action, the focus was primarily on character and plot.[7] Damon, who had never played such a physically demanding role, insisted on performing many of the stunts himself. With stunt choreographer Nick Powell, he underwent three months of extensive training in stunt work, the use of weapons, boxing, and eskrima. He eventually performed a significant number of the film's stunts himself, including hand-to-hand combat and climbing the safe house walls near the film's conclusion.[8]

Filming

From the onset of filming, difficulties with the studio slowed the film's development and caused a rift between the director and Universal Pictures, as executives were unhappy with the film's pacing, emphasis on small scale action sequences, and the general relationship between themselves and Liman, who was suspicious of direct studio involvement.[9] A number of reshoots and rewrites late in development and scheduling problems delayed the film from its original release target date of September 2001 to June 2002 and took it $8,000,000 over budget from the initial budget of $60 million; screenwriter Tony Gilroy faxed elements of screenplay rewrites almost throughout the entire duration of filming.[9] A particular point of contention with regard to the original Gilroy script were the scenes set in the farmhouse near the film's conclusion. Liman and Matt Damon fought to keep the scenes in the film after they were excised in a third-act rewrite that was insisted upon by the studio. Liman and Damon argued that, though the scenes were low key, they were integral to the audience's understanding of the Bourne character and the film's central themes. The farmhouse sequence consequently went through many rewrites from its original incarnation before its inclusion in the final product.[9]

Other issues included the studio's desire to substitute Montreal or Prague for Paris in order to lower costs, Liman's insistence on the use of a French-speaking film crew, and poor test audience reactions to the film's Paris finale. The latter required a late return to location in order to shoot a new, more action-oriented conclusion to the Paris story arc.[10] In addition to Paris, filming took place in Prague, Imperia, Rome, Mykonos, and Zürich; several scenes set in Zürich were also filmed in Prague.[3] Damon described the production as a struggle, citing the early conflicts that he and Liman had with the studio, but denied that it was an overtly difficult process, stating, "When I hear people saying that the production was a nightmare it's like, a 'nightmare'? Shooting's always hard, but we finished."[11]

Liman's directorial method was often hands-on. Many times he operated the camera himself in order to create what he believed was a more intimate relationship between himself, the material, and the actors. He felt that this connection was lost if he simply observed the recording on a monitor. This was a mindset he developed from his background as a small-scale indie film maker.[8]

The acclaimed car chase sequence was filmed primarily by the second unit under director Alexander Witt. The unit shot in various locations around Paris while Liman was filming the main story arc elsewhere in the city. The finished footage was eventually edited together to create the illusion of a coherent journey. Liman confessed that "anyone who really knows Paris will find it illogical", since few of the locations used in the car chase actually connect to each other.[10] Liman took only a few of the shots himself; his most notable chase sequence shots were those of Matt Damon and Franka Potente while inside the car.[3]

Reception

Critical response

The film received positive reviews. The film review collection website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an 83% approval rating based on 184 reviews collected, and an average score of 7/10. The site's consensus reads "Expertly blending genre formula with bursts of unexpected wit, The Bourne Identity is an action thriller that delivers—and then some."[12]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars and praised it for its ability to absorb the viewer in its "spycraft" and "Damon's ability to be focused and sincere" concluding that the film was "unnecessary, but not unskilled".[13] Walter Chaw of Film Freak Central praised the film for its pacing and action sequences, describing them as "kinetic, fair, and intelligent, every payoff packaged with a moment's contemplation crucial to the creation of tension" and that the movie could be understood as a clever subversion of the genre.[14] Charles Taylor of Salon.com acclaimed the film as "entertaining, handsome and gripping, The Bourne Identity is something of an anomaly among big-budget summer blockbusters: a thriller with some brains and feeling behind it, more attuned to story and character than to spectacle" and praised Liman for giving the film a "tough mindedness" that never gives way into "cynicism or hopelessness".[15]

Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine also noted Doug Liman's "restrained approach to the material" as well as Matt Damon and Franka Potente's strong chemistry, but ultimately concluded the film was "smart, but not smart enough".[16] J. Hoberman of The Village Voice dismissed the film as "banal" and as a disappointment compared against Liman's previous indie releases;[17] Owen Gleiberman also criticised the film for a "sullen roteness that all of Liman's supple handheld staging can't disguise".[18] Aaron Beierle of DVDTalk gave particular praise to the film's central car chase which was described as an exciting action highlight and one of the best realized in the genre.[19][20]

Box office

In its opening weekend, The Bourne Identity took in US$27,118,640 in 2,638 theaters. The film grossed $121,661,683 in North America and $92,263,424 elsewhere for a total worldwide gross of $214,034,224.[2]

Accolades

Year Organization Award Category/Recipient Result
2003ASCAP Film and Television Music AwardsASCAP AwardTop Box Office Films – John PowellWon[21]
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USASaturn AwardBest Action/Adventure/Thriller FilmNominated[21]
American Choreography AwardsAmerican Choreography AwardOutstanding Achievement in Fight Choreography – Nick PowellWon[21]
Art Directors GuildExcellence in Production Design AwardFeature Film – Contemporary FilmsNominated[21]
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USAGolden Reel AwardBest Sound Editing in Domestic Features - Dialogue & ADR; Sound Effects & FoleyNominated[21]
World Stunt AwardsTaurus AwardBest Work With a VehicleWon[21]

Home media

On January 21, 2003, Universal Pictures released The Bourne Identity on VHS, and on DVD in the U.S. in two formats; a single-disc widescreen collector's edition and a single-disc full screen collector's edition. Both contain supplemental materials including a making-of documentary, a commentary from director Doug Liman and deleted scenes. On July 13, 2004, Universal released a new DVD of the film in the U.S. in preparation for the sequel's cinema debut.[22] This DVD came in the same two formats: a single-disc widescreen (Extended edition) and a single-disc full screen (Extended edition). Both contain supplemental materials including interviews with Matt Damon, deleted scenes, alternative opening and ending, a documentary on the consulate fight and information features on the CIA and amnesia. The alternate ending on the DVD has Bourne collapsing during the search for Marie, waking up with Abbott standing over him, and getting an offer to return to the CIA. Neither contain the commentary or DTS tracks present in the collector's edition. The film was also released on UMD for Sony's PlayStation Portable on August 30, 2005 and on HD DVD on July 24, 2007. With the release of The Bourne Ultimatum on DVD, a new DVD of The Bourne Identity was included in a boxed set with The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. The boxed set is entitled The Jason Bourne Collection. A trilogy set was released on Blu-ray in January 2009.[23]

Soundtrack

The Bourne Identity: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by John Powell
Released June 11, 2002
Genre Score
Length 54:51
Label Varèse Sarabande
The Bourne Series chronology
The Bourne Identity: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(2002)		 The Bourne Supremacy: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(2004)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Link
SoundtrackNet Link

The score for the Bourne Identity was composed by John Powell. Powell was bought in to replace Carter Burwell, who had composed and recorded a more traditional orchestral score for the film, which director Doug Liman rejected. Since a lot of the music budget had been spent recording the rejected score, Powell's score was initially conceived to be entirely non-orchestral, making extensive use of percussion, guitars, electronics and studio techniques. However, a string section was later overdubbed onto many of the cues to give them a 'cinematic' quality. [24]

The Bourne Identity: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on June 11, 2002. In addition to the score, the film also featured the songs "Extreme Ways" by Moby and "Southern Sun / Ready Steady Go" by Paul Oakenfold. The soundtrack won an ASCAP Award.[25]

Sequels

The Bourne Identity was followed by a 2004 sequel, The Bourne Supremacy, which received a similar positive critical and public reception,[26] but received some criticism for its hand-held camerawork, which observers argued made action sequences difficult to see.[27] The Bourne Supremacy was directed by Paul Greengrass with Matt Damon reprising his role as Jason Bourne. A third film, The Bourne Ultimatum, was released in 2007 and again was directed by Paul Greengrass and starred Matt Damon. Like Supremacy, Ultimatum received generally positive critical and public reception, but also received similar criticism for the camera-work.[28]

The fourth film of the Bourne franchise, The Bourne Legacy was released in 2012. Neither Damon nor Greengrass were involved.[29][30]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "The Bourne Identity". British Film Institute. London. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Bourne Identity (2002)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 'The Bourne Identity' DVD Commentary Featuring Doug Liman (2003).
  4. 1 2 Michael Fleming (March 9, 2000). "Pitt giving books look for Par & U". Variety. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  5. ↑ Michael Fleming (June 24, 1999). "Lopez after ‘Angel'; Kumble surfs the Web". Variety. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  6. ↑ Staff (May 25, 2000). "Inside Moves". Variety. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  7. ↑ Hanrahan, Denise. "Interview with Doug Liman". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  8. 1 2 'The Birth of the Bourne Identity' DVD Making of Documentary (2003).
  9. 1 2 3 King, Tom. "Bourne to be Wild". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  10. 1 2 Wells, Jeffrey. "Bourne on His Back". Reel.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  11. ↑ Wadowski, Heather. "Interview with Matt Damon". MovieHabit.com. Retrieved March 19, 2007.
  12. ↑ "The Bourne Identity". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixter. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  13. ↑ Ebert, Roger. "The Bourne Identity Review". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 8, 2007.
  14. ↑ Chaw, Walter. "The Bourne Identity Review". FilmFreakCentral.com. Retrieved March 8, 2007.
  15. ↑ Taylor, Charles. "The Bourne Identity Review". Salon.com. Retrieved March 13, 2007.
  16. ↑ Gonzalez, Ed. "The Bourne Identity Review". SlantMagazine.com. Retrieved March 8, 2007.
  17. ↑ Hoberman, J. "Zero for Conduct". VillageVoice.com. Retrieved March 24, 2007.
  18. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (June 21, 2002). "The Bourne Identity Review". EW.com. Retrieved March 25, 2007.
  19. ↑ Beierle, Aaron. "The Bourne Identity DVD Review". DVDTalk.com. Retrieved March 8, 2007.
  20. ↑ Clinton, Paul (June 14, 2002). "The Bourne Identity Review". CNN.com. Retrieved March 8, 2007.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Bourne Identity (2002) – Awards". IMDb. Amazon.com. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  22. ↑ Arnold, Thomas K. (July 26, 2004). "Studios big on double features". USA Today. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  23. ↑ Ault, Susanne (February 6, 2009). "Universal bundles Blu-ray catalog titles". Video Business. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  24. ↑ http://www.empireonline.com/features/john-powell-career/p2
  25. ↑ "World Class". ASCAP. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  26. ↑ "The Bourne Supremacy (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  27. ↑ "The Bourne Ultimatum". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 16, 2009. (registration required (help)).
  28. ↑ Corliss, Richard (August 2, 2007). "The Bourne Ultimatum: A Macho Fantasy". Time. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  29. ↑ Labrecque, Jeff (October 11, 2010). "No Matt Damon in 'Bourne Legacy': Report". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  30. ↑ Serpe, Gina (October 11, 2010). "WTF?! Matt Damon Out of The Bourne Legacy". E! Online. Retrieved April 1, 2011.

External links

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