director: Doug Liman
starring: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Brian Cox
There are very few “intelligent” movies nowadays, and even fewer that are also entertaining. The Bourne Identity succeed in both areas, managing to be a thinking man’s action flick. That is not to say there’s not a lot of popcorn action, but the characters, script and background are fleshed out enough to make it a worthwhile watching experience. You can categorize Identity along with popcorn movies like Face/Off, Die Another Day, and XXX, but it’s presented with a higher degree of realism and intelligence, and that elevates it over the action genre. It’s a taut, fast-paced movie, and a highly-enjoyable one at that.