Take a CIA-created human weapon, toss him into the Mediterranean Sea, stir things up by adding a dash of amnesia, and you've got "The Bourne Identity." The film's unlikely and shallow plot is buoyed by some serious eye candy action, including car chases, grueling fight scenes and the requisite, though somewhat poorly developed, romance.
Damon is Jason Bourne, although that's just one of his many names. He might have amnesia, but that doesn't quite excuse his near complete lack of personality. Bourne is as bland as can be.
But this movie really isn't about him, anyway -- it's about bells and whistles, gadgets and bullets. Although "The Bourne Identity" falls comfortably into its genre, it does so with style and smarts.
The slick film often seems a foreign take on "Enemy of the State." This worldliness is augmented by the German presence of Franka Potente ("Run Lola Run"), who is stunning as Bourne's only true friend and unlikely flame, Marie.
The poorly developed love story and loud, long action sequences don't always mix. This could have sunk "The Bourne Identity," but the splendid all-around acting redeems the plot and keeps the viewers near, if not on, the edges of their seats.
Taking his lifeless character to new heights by combining superb moves with a well-worn look of confusion, Damon portrays a man retaining his lethal skills but not his memories of them. The amnesiac-deadly-weapon shtick never grows old.
Potente combines a strange beauty with natural acting skills, making her slightly insane character quite believable. Her individual spark overshadows the lack of fire between the two main characters.
Also well-cast is Chris Cooper, who plays Conklin, Bourne's befuddled nemesis. With attitude and authority, Cooper makes the best of his sometimes lackluster part. The film's only real casting mistake is Julia Stiles as Nicolette, a CIA operative in Paris. She's a sore thumb in this not-a-teen-movie.
But, foibles aside, "The Bourne Identity" does run the action-film racket well. Entertaining without depth, aesthetic without art, the film is just what it seems: a simple pleaser with little below the shiny surface.
