The Bourne Identity (1988)

An Exercise In Nonsense

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Like the much more famous 2002 version starring Matt Damon, this elaborate and expensive looking TV mini-series (actually just a long two-part movie) is a non-stop roller-coaster ride of a picture. If you like action, then you are in for a treat....though you wouldn't exactly expect Richard Chamberlain to be playing an action star! A mini- series star yes...action hero...nah!When the film begins, Jason Bourne (Chamberlain) is shot, tossed overboard and assumed dead. Obviously someone dislikes the guy...at least just a bit! He soon washes up on shore in the south of France and is found by a doctor who manages to save him. But when Bourne awakens he has a serious problem. He has no idea who he is and the head wound no doubt is the reason why. While the doctor cannot tell him who he is, he does know he's someone unique, as he somehow survived, has had significant plastic surgery to hide his identity AND he had some secret information implanted in his leg!! Bourne is determined to discover who he is and very, very slowly tiny bits and pieces come back to him. The first big shock is that he has a bank account with $15,000,000 in it! The next is when he tries to withdraw some of it, bank employees begin shooting at him and he goes into super action hero mode! Clearly there is a very severe penalty at this place for an early withdrawal!! From here, the film continues with one killer after another coming for Jason...and he has no idea whether or not he's a good guy or a bad guy--but he is a LETHAL guy. And, there is some indication he MIGHT be the international mega-criminal, the Jackal! Along for the much of the ride is Marie (Jaclyn Smith), a Canadian woman vacationing in Europe. At first he grabs her in order to blend in and evade assassins. Later, she comes to realize her kidnapper is not one of the bad guys and she willingly helps him in his quest to see who he really is. The biggest strength of this film is that although it's practically non-stop action, because it's three hours long it gives you a bit of time to breath--something not possible in the later film because it was an hour shorter. How else it is better or worse I can't say. I've seen both, but saw the Matt Damon version long ago and cannot remember all of it--just that it was a bit too frenetic in pace. So is this any good? Well, yes and no. The plot, while frenetic (and I am not much of an action film lover--you should know that), the film is exciting and the plot satisfying and interesting. However, the movie also suffers from its love story....which just doesn't make much sense. Why does Marie fall for Jason so quickly?! Why do they go to bed together so quickly?! And, why does she continue to risk her life again and again for a man she doesn't really know?! None of this makes any sense.The bottom line is that this IS a very good film and is well worth seeing despite its love story. The international filming locations are pretty amazing for a made for TV film and the acting is generally pretty good. But, for a much better film involving Carlos the Jackal, try watching "Day of the Jackal"...one of the best suspense films of all time.FYI--You might be too young to know, but Carlos the Jackal is a REAL person--a real international terrorist and not just some character in films. Ilyich Ramírez Sánchez was nicknamed Carlot the Jackal and is currently in prison in France for his infamous crimes.

I didn't expect too much from a TV mini-series based on an adventure novel, which was later made into a big budget action film.I had not enjoyed the 2002 version of The Bourne Identity with Matt Damon, but this one was gripping from the first frame. I read a lot of the reviews and posts here as I always do to compare reactions, and found people were praising some elements, and criticizing others. Here is how it affected me.Primarily it was a story about a man's search for his identity, and Chamberlain, never known as the greatest actor in the world, was very believable and effective. Jaclyn Smith was just adequate in her role and she is definitely one of the worst actresses they could have chosen, but one can't have everything. She makes good eye candy. The movie's other characters played pivotal roles and delivered excellent characterizations. Notably Denholm Elliott as the doctor.The story was a fast moving adventure, which was almost Hitchcockian, the story of one bewildered man with villains trying to kill him, and a random pretty girl he abducts to help him (also echoes of the Redford movie Three Days of the Condor), and the extensive scenery of Paris was beautiful. Except for the obvious pauses where commercials used to be, this looks like a real movie and not a TV series. It doesn't look cheaply made. They obviously took pride in this production.But to me the most surprising thing of all was the human element, the complex emotions in the amnesiac's story. Richard Chamberlain delivered them far above what one would expect from him, or from a TV movie. Yet this movie is all but forgotten since the theatre versions were made. I think that Hitchcock, if he had been alive to make this picture, would himself have chosen Chamberlain as he was very much like the James Stewart "everyman" who raced against time to solve the mystery of his amnesia.There are a few places where key scenes from the past are shown briefly and never explained (apparently a sequel was planned, which would explain them), and yet I was able to fill in a likely explanation, from my own imagination. This is the mark of good film making. There were no fantastic special effects or avant garde techniques. It was straightforward story telling.I am easily bored, highly critical, and so because I loved this, I am very surprised and had to post about it, in case it might help someone decide to go ahead and see it. Yes, it is well worth it and highly enjoyable. It hails from another era (where the story was more important than the chases and effects).I am glad it is still available in video, and if I find it in DVD I will buy it because it was a movie I would like to see again. I still think about it - and went to the library to get the book the next day - and that rarely happens with an action movie of this type.

Although filmed in 1988 The Bourne Identity is still very actual, the fight against terrorism being very much on today's agenda as well. The two parts movie takes us mainly to Zürich, Paris and New York, to locations so beautifully chosen as to make the viewer wish he could visit them. A man looses his memory after being shot and enduring serious injuries. The story is his search of identity intelligently intertwined with the unfolding of an international secret services action to capture Carlos, a famous terrorist and assassin who kept the CIA and other intelligence agencies around the world on their toes for years. The writers of the script certainly had an arduous task condensing the complex plot, their talent created a compelling story, a sharp dialog without ever confusing the viewer. As mentioned The Bourne Identity unfolds in three different cities. In each of them new elements and characters are added thus making the pace of the show pick up momentum until it reaches a cathartic peak on E 71st street. The actor in the title role with whom we take the thrilling trip, rather roller-coaster ride, could only be Richard Chamberlain. His unique acting arc displays, with intensity, finesse and perfection, loving moments -- his face melting with love and crying for sadness when his failing memory catches glimpses of the past, his handsome and young body surrendering to the talented and attractive Jaclyn Smith who falls under the spell of this intriguing man -- and tough and violent moments paired with callousness, cold blood, swiftness of reactions, distress and cruel realizations as well as a formidable physical shape. Richard Chamberlain IS Jason Bourne and he is the one who keeps the viewer's attention tense during the entire movie. One of my preferred scenes is one confronting a French General played by the much missed Anthony Quayle and Jason Bourne/Richard Chamberlain, two great actors among the greatest, on stage and on the screen; so powerful a scene, it grips you, one almost forgets to breathe .... Magnificent acting, soldiers ! The Bourne Identity ends with a moral note, Jason Bourne/Richard Chamberlain once his mission accomplished questions the violence and the need for men to become monsters to fight monsters. In the very last scene, full of symbolism, our hero, tightly holding the arm of Marie St. Jacques/Jaclyn Smith walks out of a cemetery towards a new life where he hopes to make peace with himself and be capable of love again. A last word to say that Martin Rabbett is co-producer, adding his great talent to the list of those who made The Bourne Identity a big success.

I have no intention of spoiling this film for anyone. Sorry, you will have to view it for yourself.The film is outstanding for 1988 and even more so for a "made for TV" film. My favourite thing is the fact that it is a better adaptation than the 2002 remake starring Matt Damon.While the newer version has all the cinematographic advantages, this film is just more faithful to Robert Ludlum's book and I am excited every time I watch.Treat yourself to a great movie night. Get a bucket of Popcorn, chips, Pizza and Soda. Keep the remote handy for those intermissions you require (the pause button) and just get ready to enjoy.10 stars **********