The Bourne Identity

Doug Liman wasn't the obvious person to direct The Bourne Identity and Matt Damon was an even less-obvious choice to play an assassin with a brutal case of amnesia, but their underdog thriller kicked off what became a beloved franchise. The incredible action scenes got even more kinetic in the sequels and the post-9/11 political subtext was more a factor in those ones too, so this first Bourne stands out for being a fairly-quiet action film for people don't usually like that sort of thing. It's also funny to think that during this same year, there was yet another in a series where a handsome, government-trained killer goes by the initials "JB". 007 had been making a mint on the big screen for decades, but along came Jason Bourne to one-up James Bond. However, none of that would mean very much if not for the soulful work of Franka Potente, who's one of the best co-stars Damon has ever had. So buckle up as the 468th Ellises' Analysis zips you expertly around the streets of Paris and tries hard not to forget what made The Bourne Identity such a sleeper hit.   They have outstanding coffee in Europe, but Sparkplug Coffee will sell you Canadians & Americans some great beans of their own. Use our promo code ("top100project") at checkout and you'll get a magnifique 20% discount. Also, tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or email us ([email protected]) and peruse the selection of sports films that have been discussed on Ryan's other podcast, Scoring At The Movies.