Critic Reviews
Bourne Identity, The (2002) Rank 2 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (353) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Reviews by Score:
Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
SNEAK REVIEW: I was very disapointed with the rough cut. It unfortunately succumbed to the demise of many movie problems, too many plot holes and unanswered questions. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
Toronto Star (Peter Howell)
An entertaining thriller that eschews most of the usual spy gimmicks in favour of old-fashioned sleuthing. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Toronto Star (Peter Howell)
Washington Post (Stephen Hunter)
The film was calculated on [Damon's] earnest toughness and rugged handsomeness -- his masculine presence, if you will -- and it's a gamble that pays off. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Washington Post (Stephen Hunter)
Screen It! (Jim Judy)
For the most part, it thankfully succeeds rather well and comes off as an engaging and entertaining entry in the genre. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Screen It! (Jim Judy)
TV Guide's Movie Guide (Ken Fox)
[A] savvy adaptation of Robert Ludlum's action-clogged 1980 bestseller. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (Ken Fox)
New York Times (A.O. Scott)
Free from the encumbrances of history and of Ludlum's cloddish prose, The Bourne Identity , like its hero, triumphs through sheer unreflective professionalism. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at New York Times (A.O. Scott)
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) (Harry Guerin)
It's a really safe bet that Damon will be Bourne again. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) (Harry Guerin)
ComingSoon.net (Blake Wright)
As the genre goes, it can be entertaining, but The Bourne Identity as a whole can't live up to the sum of its parts or its very weak ending. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at ComingSoon.net (Blake Wright)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
In these dog days, Bourne earns what passes as high praise: It doesn't suck. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Mediasharx (Brent Fishbaugh)
At-A-Glance Film Reviews (--)
ShowBIZ Data (--)
Chicago Tribune (Mark Caro)
Cinema 2000 (João Lopes)
DVD Times Review (Daniel Stephens)
CineFile : il Cinema in Rete (Mariela Bernardini)
El Criticon (Antonio Méndez Casanova)
Mutant Reviewers From Hell
Movieseer.com Review (Joel Quenby)
Xi-online (Gejo Hoogeveen)
cinEncanto (Pablo del Moral)
Las Vegas Weekly (Steve Bornfeld)
Objectif cinéma (Cyril Rota)
Objectif cinéma (Gilles Lyon-Caen)
Boxoffice Magazine
Boxoffice Magazine
Robert Ludlum's slick thriller "The Bourne Identity," about an amnesiac spy on the run from both the enemy and his own people until he's able to piece together events surrounding his loss of memory, made for a very engaging 1988 television miniseries ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Boxoffice Magazine
www.filmrecensiepagina.nl (Wilko de Bruin)
Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)
One thing about James Bond, he always knows who he is and what he's doing. Not so for the new breed of spies and secret agents. "Bad Company" stars Chris Rock as a streetwise hustler bumbling his way through a dangerous mission his more sophisticated ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)
MovieCrypt.com (Kevin A. Ranson)
In addition to a clever plot, intrigue, and a car chase or two, Matt Damon manages to pull off being a friendly face that happens to be a highly-trained killer. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at MovieCrypt.com (Kevin A. Ranson)
Plugged In
Language and violence make it impossible to recommend this film, but it’s the rare spy thriller that allows us to root for a "killing machine" with a conscience. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Plugged In
Movie Habit (Heather Wadowski)
When all is said and done, The Bourne Identity is yet another example of why popular novels shouldn’t be adapted for the big screen. For while on paper the story of an amnesiac spy on the run for his life may be a real page turner, in Hollywood ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Movie Habit (Heather Wadowski)
Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss)
As a psychological study of secret agents, The Bourne Identity is too much carnival ride and not enough John le Carre. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss)
Zap2it.com (Michael Szymanski)
A taut, fast-action thriller, but Matt Damon just doesn't cut it as a spy. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Zap2it.com (Michael Szymanski)
DVD Talk (Jason Bovberg)
Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
Anyone familiar with the better work of Damon or director Doug Liman will see their jacked-up expectations shot down. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
Fantastica Daily (Staci Layne Wilson)
I am giving The Bourne Identity a marginal nod, but if you're looking for a classic-style espionage yarn with complex characters and an engrossing, complicated story, rent Spy Game instead. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Fantastica Daily (Staci Layne Wilson)
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Todd Anthony)
The characters are so generic and the plot so bland that even as rogue CIA assassins working for Chris Cooper's agency boss close in on the resourceful amnesiac, we don't feel much for Damon/Bourne or his predicament. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Todd Anthony)
Jigsaw Lounge (Neil Young)
DigitalVD.de (Tino Hahn)
CinemaSpeak.com (Warren Curry)
For the most part, The Bourne Identity is the type of sub par filmmaking that has been casually accepted as the norm in Hollywood. It's a film where the plot serves only as a tool to link one action scene (which get more boring as the film proceeds) to ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at CinemaSpeak.com (Warren Curry)
Toronto Life (--)
TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)
After a taut, top-notch first 80 minutes, director Doug Liman loses his way as the plotting and action sequences grow more predictable and mundane. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)
Kansas City Star (Loey Lockerby)
The film consists mostly of action and romance, two things Liman does well in his comedies, but rather poorly here. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Kansas City Star (Loey Lockerby)
Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)
Village Voice (J. Hoberman)
As this movie knows what it is, Scooby-Doo's a relatively painless 85 minutes. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Village Voice (J. Hoberman)
Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)
Damon brings the proper conviction to his role as [Jason Bourne]. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)
Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)
All the style cannot make up for the flagging energy level of the narrative. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)
Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
As the intended start of a franchise, The Bourne Identity is a bit of a bust. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
That Cow (B. Kiefer)
Recently, I've watched three movies - O, The Bourne Identity, and The Shipping News. Not thematically related, these movies have made me think about the screenplay. Taking an idea inherited from someone else and transferring it to film. The Bourne ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at That Cow (B. Kiefer)
Harvey S. Karten
If all this is true, how did the book become so popular? The answer is Robert Ludlum's writing which cannot be translated to the screen. Look at the first page:"The trawler plunged into the angry swells of the dark, furious sea like an awkward animal ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Harvey S. Karten
Globe and Mail (Liam Lacey)
Liman adds some brash, and occasionally subtle, touches to the spy-on-the-run formula, without ever quite managing to transcend the cliches. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Globe and Mail (Liam Lacey)
Three Movie Buffs (Scott Nash)
Typical light summer fare, The Bourne Identity offers action without suspense, sex without nudity, and death without blood. Perhaps the real reason Jason Bourne has amnesia is that his adventures are just so forgettable. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Three Movie Buffs (Scott Nash)
St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
Although it's entertaining, Bourne has a staid, conventional feel. as if it could have been made at any time in the past 25 years. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
Film Values/Family Values (H. Arthur Taussig)
Hollywood Bitchslap (Thom Fowler)
This rehashed piece of junk should have taken a lesson from Sneakers or Mission: Impossible – two great films it borrows most of its script from. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Hollywood Bitchslap (Thom Fowler)
Orlando Sentinel (Jay Boyar)
Liman, of Swingers and Go , makes his big-budget action film debut something of a clunker as he delivers a long, low-heat chase, interrupted by a middling car chase. ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Orlando Sentinel (Jay Boyar)
That Cow (Andrew Bradford)
Matt Damon has lost his memory! The horror! Excuse my fake enthusiasm, but I'm trying to illustrate something about this paint-by-number film. Mainly, the film deals with Jason Bourne, played by Damon, trying to recover his memories. All he knows at ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at That Cow (Andrew Bradford)
Jerry Saravia
"The Bourne Identity" has the typical premise of corruption at the core of intelligence and makes the assassin amnesiac so that we identify with him through his inner identity search. All fine and dandy but the eventual explanation of why he was set up ...read the complete Bourne Identity movie review at Jerry Saravia
User Reviews
by A. Riddle on July 14, 2009
Who knew Matt Damon could make such an awesome Jason Bourne. The first in the series is action packed and looks amazing in HD. ...
by C. Carter on May 18, 2009
This is a excellent video, I am very please to see this much action in just over ninety minutes. The plot is a bit hard to follow in some places however, if you like Matt Damon this is a truly great movie. ...
by John E. Bailor "a... on April 01, 2009
If you've read Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity, you won't see too much similarity to the book once Jason Bourne is fished out of the water. The only Carlos in this movie is in the (fortunately) deleted alternate opening.
Although the Richard ...
by Andrew Snyder on February 15, 2009
This movie is the best of the Bourne ...
by David A. Baer on January 23, 2009
The chemistry between Franka Potente's 'Marie' and Matt Damon's 'Jason Bourne' sizzles on top the European scenery where it's left to rest on this film adaptation of Robert Ludlum's novel. The result is a splendid kickoff to a strong trilogy treating a ...
by Jessica Zimmerman on January 19, 2009
I am really into the Bourne series and own all three dvds separately (not a collector's edition). I bought the set for my dad as well. This is a movie that you can watch over and over and still find it just as ...
by Mona Lisa on January 18, 2009
Love Jason Bourne and Matt Damon is a great actor. I am also a big fan of Franka Potente. ...
by Bob Fake Name "an... on November 21, 2008
These Bourne movies rock my world. You know THE BOURNE IDENTITY and subsequent sequels are so bad. The Bourne movies are so bad they got James Bond to change almost everything about himself except his name. And James Bond probably didn't change his name ...
by H. Parker Kelley on October 01, 2008
Matt Damon rocks in these movies -- he is amazing -- the action is suspenseful and real. I wish there were more ...
by ! MR. KNOW IT ALL... on August 24, 2008
I have not read the book, but reviewing this as a movie on it's own, it's quite good and much better than the usual action fare! Matt Damon plays Jason Bourne like a robotic killing machine. Fast paced, engrossing with an intelligent script, this film ...
User Comments
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