The Bourne Identity (2002)
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A man with amnesia must fight to uncover his identity and his mysterious connection to the CIA.
The story
After being rescued at sea with gunshot wounds and suffering from psychogenic amnesia, a man discovers he is highly skilled in combat and possesses a mysterious connection to the CIA. He finds a safe deposit box in Zurich containing various identities and a handgun, leading him to assume the name Jason Bourne. As he attempts to navigate his new reality, he becomes the target of a CIA black ops program known as Treadstone. Accompanied by a woman named Marie, Bourne must evade pursuit while trying to piece together his past and understand the secrets of the organization that created him.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being rescued at sea with gunshot wounds and suffering from psychogenic amnesia, a man discovers he is highly skilled in combat and possesses a mysterious connection to the CIA. He finds a safe deposit box in Zurich containing various identities and a handgun, leading him to assume the name Jason Bourne. While he and a woman named Marie flee across Europe, they are hunted by CIA agents assigned by the Treadstone program. Bourne eventually learns he was an operative who attempted to assassinate a dictator, and his memory loss occurred during his escape. He eventually confronts the head of Treadstone, Alexander Conklin, in a Paris safe house. During the confrontation, Bourne experiences flashbacks of his mission and the moment he was shot. He eventually escapes the facility, while the Treadstone program is officially decommissioned by the CIA. The film ends with Bourne and Marie reuniting on the island of Mykonos.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 119
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Doug Liman
- Writers
- Tony Gilroy · screenplay; William Blake Herron · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Matt Damon · Jason Bourne; Franka Potente · Marie; Chris Cooper; Clive Owen; Brian Cox; Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje; Julia Stiles · Nicolette (Nicky Parsons)
- Genres
- action; thriller
- Themes
- identity; memory; government conspiracy
- Tone and mood
- tense; suspenseful
- Premise and plot tags
- amnesia; spy; action
- Source material / true-story basis
- Robert Ludlum's 1980 novel of the same name
- Franchise connections
- Bourne
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, with many considering it one of the most influential action films of all time.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 68 · scale: 100 · review count: 38
- Awards and nominations
- ASCAP Award · Soundtrack · Win
- Production trivia
- The film was originally set for release in September 2001.; The character of Marie was originally a Canadian economist before being changed to a German drifter.; The production was troubled by conflicts between the creators and studio executives over costs and changes.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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