| | | Includes a Completely New Beginning and Ending!
Features: DVD, Spanish, English, French
"A new action hero is Bourne!" (Access Hollywood). Get ready for the explosive, action-packed hit with incredible fight sequences, starring Academy Award winner Matt Damon (Ocean's Eleven). Pulled from the sea with two bullets in his back, Jason Bourne discovers he has the skills of a very dangerous man and no memory of his violent past. Racing to unlock the secret of his own identity, he discovers the deadly truth: he's an elite government agent. But to the government, Jason Bourne isn't just their property, he's a malfunctioning thirty million dollar weapon. Lethally trained, built to disappear, he's an agent on the run who has to be taken out. Now, the government's top operative has become its number one target, in a super-charged, thrill-a-minute spectacular loaded with "Non-stop action!" (Bill Zwecker, FOX-TV).
"Heart-pounding!" Access Hollywood
"There isn't a dull or dumb moment in this movie." Desson Howe, The Washington Post
"Mind-blowing!" Jim Ferguson, FOX-TV
"A lean, deftly shot, well-acted, weirdly retro thriller that recalls a raft of '60s and '70s European-set spy pictures." Jonathan Foreman, New York Post
"...not only entertaining but also refreshing, a shameless crowd-pleaser with a healthy cynicism about itself." Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"Blisteringly fast, Bourne also has a strong or striking supporting actor around every corner..." Mike Clark, USA Today
"A first-rate thriller with grit and intrigue to spare." Todd McCarthy, Variety
Editor's Note
As THE BOURNE IDENTITY begins, a man who may or may not be Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is found floating in the Mediterranean Sea and is hauled onto a fishing boat. When the ship's doctor examines the unconscious castaway, he discovers two bullet wounds and an implanted device that displays a Swiss bank account number. With nothing but this code, the amnesiac Bourne travels to Zurich and gains access to a safe-deposit box containing a gun, thousands of dollars in various currencies, and valid passports from numerous countries--each listing a different identity. Within minutes, Bourne is on the run from a seemingly ever-present agency, relying on language and fighting skills he didn't even know he possessed. Offering $20,000 for a ride to Paris, Bourne gains the reluctant help of the nomadic Marie (Franka Potente). Meanwhile, the shadowy organization, headed by a tough-talking bureaucrat (Chris Cooper), sends numerous assassins (including the Professor, played by Clive Owen) after Bourne and Marie. As their situation grows more perilous, the two strangers struggle to find out who Bourne really is and why they are being hunted.Doug Liman's adaptation of Robert Ludlum's best-selling novel is a remarkable exercise in straightforward storytelling, with the director wisely choosing to focus on Bourne and his quest for identity. The fight sequences are thrilling, but never overly glamorized, and the film's pacing is engaging and deliberate. Damon, who displays genuine bewilderment as his character discovers his almost-superhuman abilities, anchors the proceedings with the subtle charm of an unlikely action hero. Potente also shines as Bourne's road companion, a savvy woman who slowly builds an utterly believable relationship with the confused man. Bearing distinct affinity for its European setting and classic Hollywood suspense films, THE BOURNE IDENTITY succeeds as an unusually smart character-driven thriller.
| Features | The Bookend Scenes: Never-Before-Seen Opening & Alternate Ending | | Audio: English, French, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Cast & Filmmakers Info | | Dubbed: French, Spanish | | Featurettes: The Bourne Mastermind - Robert Ludlum, From Identity To Supremacy - Jason & Marie, The Bourne Diagnosis, Cloak & Dagger - Covert Ops, The Speed Of Sound, Declassified Information, & Inside A Fight Sequence | | Interactive Menus | | Music Video: Moby's Extreme Ways | | Production Notes | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Universal |
| Release Date: 9/18/2007 |
| Running Time: 119 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2002 | | Catalog ID: 61102619 | | UPC: 00025195020770 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"...Cool RONIN-style car chases ensue....BOURNE earns what passes as hip praise..." 07/04/2002 p.115Los Angeles Times
"...A tiptop espionage thriller....Laced with great shocking moments, BOURNE moves along smartly on its own steam, drawing us confidently into its orbit..." 06/14/2002 p.C1 USA Today
"...Blisteringly fast, BOURNE also has a strong or striking supporting actor around every corner..." 06/14/2002 p.6E Chicago Sun-Times
"...Very well done, with skillful action sequences and a great chase scene through Paris streets..." 07/21/2002 p.5 Sight and Sound
"...There's much to enjoy here....Liman has real talent....An undertone of humour enriches the action..." 09/01/2002 p.56-7 Chicago Sun-Times
"[A] skillful action moive....Well-crafted and acted....[Liman] directs the traffic well, gets a nice wintry look from his locations, absorbs us with the movie's spycraft and uses Damon's ability to be focused and sincere." 06/17/2002 ReelViews 8 of 10
In all likelihood, Robert Ludlum fans will not be pleased by this adaptation of one of the spy master's best-received novels. That's because The Bourne Identity uses the premise, a few character names, and some isolated incidents from the novel, then runs off in its own direction. This film has less in common with its print inspiration than The Sum of All Fears, but, considering the inherent differences between books and movies, that's not necessarily a bad thing. The divergence allows The Bourne Identity's cinematic incarnation to be judged on its own strengths and weaknesses, without being repeatedly compared to the book - a problem that the 1988 mini-series had...The movie has credibility issues, but none are insurmountable in the name of entertainment...No matter who comes out on top, this is the kind of movie where the audience - at least an audience looking for 120 minutes of adrenaline-propelled escapism - wins. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
"The Bourne Identity" is a skillful action movie about a plot that exists only to support a skillful action movie. The entire story is a set-up for the martial arts and chases. Because they are done well, because the movie is well-crafted and acted, we give it a pass. Too bad it's not about something...I kind of enjoyed "The Bourne Identity." I had to put my mind on hold, but I was able to. I am less disturbed by action movies like this, which are frankly about nothing, than by action movies like "Windtalkers," which pretend to be about something and then cop out. Doug Liman, the director of "Bourne," directs the traffic well, gets a nice wintry look from his locations, absorbs us with the movie's spycraft and uses Damon's ability to be focused and sincere. The movie is unnecessary, but not unskilled. - Roger Ebert
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