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The Bourne Identity Movie

R

Ross

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Has anyone seen this movie, anyone seen it who read Robert Ludlum's book?

I thought it was pretty good, though it wouldn't have hurt to have followed the novel more (had the same problem with The Sum of All Fears), they completely took out the character of Carlos the Jackal. Matt Damon is surprisingly good in the role. I'm hoping they'll film the other two books in the trilogy.
 
I liked the movie, too. But, ...

The Bourne Identity is one of my favourite books in the spy-thriller genre - so, I was also disappointed that it didn't stick more closely to the book and include Carlos the Jackal. Maybe the film makers (as is often the case) underestimated the ability of viewers to follow a more complex storyline. A pity, because it could have been a much better film.

Agreed - Matt Damon was surprsingly good as Bourne. Wonder if there will be a sequel? There are at least 3 or 4 Ludlum books with the Bourne character, so there's lots of room for follow-up a la Clancy's Jack Ryan books and movies.

Favourite part of the movie: when he escapes through the US embassy by using his wits, picking up maps, weapons, etc. along the way.
 
I preffered the original TV movie starring Richard Chamberlain, which did have Carlos the Jackal, but was made before he was captured. He was left out of the remake because he was captured by the French DGSE not the CIA.

I have read the book, and it is outstanding, but as per usual, transferring a book to the big screen always dissapoints. Possible exception, being Peter Jackson's Lord of THe Rings, which I think was fairly well done.
 
I've just watched this tonight, and I enjoyed the film a lot. Not so sure of the way the plot came together at the end though.

I've never read any of Ludlum's books. Are they good? Is the Bourne Identity typical of his work?
 
Saw the movie again yesterday.
Excellent in my point of view: cast, music, pictures, triggering scenario development that are not all fully predictable (most shifts of story hint towards several alternatives, with little possibility of defining early).
Never read the book but have been told that the actual book had quite a significant ending, in terms of Bourne (not) knowing who he is. Am heading for the book now.... :) :)
On a different register could not help thinking again that the comic series 'XIII' (hi Lies: another trip to comic bookshop?) has a similar kind of scenario trigger. Now if Ludlum's book really end with Bourne being lost with identities within identities. Hi William, did you read Ludlum? Not acknowledged in your comics man! Have had the same problem when reading 'Foucault's Pendulum' by U. Eco vs. 'El Club Dumas' by A. Perez-Reverte (the books are much better than the movies from them). Eco or Perez-Reverte with the idea first? A bit sad as 'The name of the rose' is a fantastic book...
And to Vance, also, perhaps you should learn to stop developing on the story when the thing has become complicated enough and come back to make the characters attractive. :cool:
 
Darren, I think you'd enjoy Ludlum's books. Lot's of intrigue with conspiracies, multiple characters and intersecting plotlines.

A little like Tom Clancy without all the technical talk. ;)
 
OOPS! I just put a post about this book in the Fiction forum! I haven't read it yet, but my husband says it's his all-time favorite mystery, so I'm gonna start it soon.
 
Originally posted by Darren Lewis
I've never read any of Ludlum's books. Are they good? Is the Bourne Identity typical of his work?
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I haven't seen this movie yet, but I think I've read all of Ludlum's books--he's my favorite thriller author after the masterful John LeCarre.

I think Ludlum's early books are excellent, but he deteriorated in his later ones--can't give you a 'turning point' offhand, I'll see if I still have one with a full list of his work.

The Bourne books are my favorites from Ludlum, so I guess they're not quite 'typical'--but if you read those and work thru the rest chronologically, you should have at least 10 great reads.

Any Ludlum movies/series I've seen have been disappointing. The Ostermann Weekend is the best of them so far, maybe you've seen it? At least that had a decent cast & director--but those attributes didn't save The Holcroft Covenant from being a big let-down.
 
This is my first encounter with Robert Ludlum, and so far I'm really enjoying it! I'm 2/3 through The Bourne Identity. What a great adventure/mystery it is! :D
 
I liked the book, I thought that the character of the woman that helps him was completley changing, he treats her badly in the book and in the movie they are sort of friends.
 
They are making the movie the bourne supremecy, i think is what it is called, which is the follow up to the bourne identity.
 
Bourne

"Bourne Supremacy" is the name of the book's sequel. They must be making a movie sequel from the book sequel.
 
The movie is a sequel to the Matt Damon movie version of Bourne Identity. The sequel stars Matt Damon and Franke Potente.
 
I thought the movie did a great job of updating the book, e.g. the technology available and the much more dynamic female lead. The book's heroine is sort of whiny.
 
Re: Bourne

Originally posted by Alicia
"Bourne Supremacy" is the name of the book's sequel. They must be making a movie sequel from the book sequel.
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Seeing as how the first film gutted the book's plot, I can't imagine how a film sequel would resemble the second book at all.
Originally posted by Ashlea
I thought the movie did a great job of updating the book, e.g. the technology available and the much more dynamic female lead. The book's heroine is sort of whiny.
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I thought just the opposite: Marie is a much stronger character in the book, and she also has much more depth.
 
Went into the movie being annoyed that they remade what Chamberlain did so well. Chamberlain, as with so many of the movies he did (Three Musketeers), followed the story and made a good solid movie out of it. They didn't need to do that again, so I think they did a good job of taking the high points and making a new movie.
 
The Bourne Identity

I have read most of Ludlum's book's and I think the boune identity was excellent.I hope that they make the other two book's from the trilogy into movies.BUT I don't think Matt Damon should play the role of Jason Bourne. Bourne is supposed to be a black belt in martial arts,but the scene in the bank was terrible acting. Otherwise it was a superb movie.
 
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