AGW Entertainment reporter Lynn b. saw a new action/thriller. Here are her thoughts on....

THE BOURNE IDENTITY

Universal Pictures

Bourne Identity Star Matt Damon reveals that the nightlife in Prague, Czech Republic where he shot much of The Bourne Identity, is pretty much like the flashy glow-stick, wall-to-wall party equivalent in the states and yes, that's him climbing walls and doing martial arts in the film…..most of the time and no, he didn't research amnesia. It's just a plot device.

Hunky, buff Jason Bourne is found floating in the sea by some fishermen. He wakes to find he's got a few bullet wounds and a weird device like a mini-laser that lists a bank account in Zurich buried in his leg. He also has no clue who he is! Amnesiac Bourne takes off for the Zurich bank and, on the way, learns that he has some awesome martial arts talents. He also finds he's stashed a bag full of multi-national currency, a hot gun and a bunch of passports in different names. Could he be……shock…a spy?

While unraveling his personal mystery and avoiding strangers who want to kill him, Bourne meets down-on-her-luck babe Marie (Franka Potente of Run Lola Run) and gets her to give him a ride to Paris. U.S. Government Black Ops head Conklin (Chris Cooper) is pissed that Bourne has failed in his mission to get rid of a rogue African head of state and is ready to kill Bourne to cover his tracks. During Bourne's investigation/chase/martial arts spree, he and Marie fall in love. Will their love survive? Will they?

Damon plays Bourne with a friendly mixture of confused bewilderment and kick-XXX confidence that is intriguing. There is humor in his self-discovery and his relationship with Franka Potente is a modern version of the old Robert Redford/Faye Dunaway spy/captive relationship in the '70's spy thriller Three Days of the Condor (You can rent it). Chris Cooper plays spymaster Conklin with the fervor of a boiler room chief, desperate and edgy. Fight and chase action is top notch with Matt using the Filipino art of Kali to disarm his enemies. A chase in a tiny Mini-Cooper car is a riot. Matt gets to climb walls like Spider-Man (when a stuntman isn't in charge) and there is an unbelievable but cool scene in which he uses a bad guy for a padding as he jumps several stories.

A real mystery is why Julia Styles is in this movie at all. She plays a European operative in Chris Cooper's organization and her role consists of taking messages, listening in on conversations and being weirded out by Matt's superhero moves. Anybody could have played the part. She must have just wanted to take in some of that Prague nightlife. The story is pretty convoluted and some "serious" scenes are awkward and laughable but hey, It's fun, has some kickin' action and Matt…more buff than you've seen him so far. A cool date flick.

Official website: www.thebourneidentity.com

Rated PG-13