How did “Bourne Identity” set the stage for action movies of the 21st century?

Charso Press: In the early 2000s, many films like “Star Wars”, “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings” were made, which benefited from the existence of unique science-fiction and fantasy stories, and even something like the Marvel universe was not included in anyone’s mind. But it wasn’t long before the action stars and themes of the 90s seemed boring to the audience.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Collateral Damage” was released in early 2002 and disappeared from memory without being able to make a special impact on the audience. Pierce Brosnan’s tenure in the role of 007 was also over, and the Bond film series was no longer as popular as before. This culminated in the movie “Die Another Time”, which failed to meet the expectations of eager fans. In addition, the attempt to revive Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan franchise starring Ben Affleck also failed.

Based on the 1980 novel by Robert Ludlum (which was previously made into a TV movie starring Richard Chamberlain), The Bourne Identity was supposed to be a spy movie. Along with boring action scenes. However, its young star, Doug Liman’s inimitable direction and Tony Gilroy’s unique take created a winning formula that laid the foundation for other action franchises.

In the first part, an amnesiac Jason Bourne (played by Matt Damon) is pulled from the sea near Marseille and with the help of Marie (played by Franca Potente) he searches for clues to discover his true identity. When Bourne discovers that he is a professional serial killer, he realizes that he is being hunted by the CIA and its bosses and is in great danger.

Undoubtedly, the best asset of “Bourne Identity” is Damon, who was able to introduce himself to the audience as the leader of an action film. However, before that, Damon’s acting skills were questioned due to the lack of popularity of these films and characters after playing a role in “Will Hunting Genius” and supporting roles in “Saving Private Ryan” and “Ocean’s 11”. . In fact, among all the roles in which he appeared, it was his sympathetic and exciting character in the movie “The Talented Mr. Ripley” that was able to attract the attention of the audience.

But these failures did not cause Damon to stop trying, instead, he played a role in the movie “Bourne Identity” with more motivation than before and was able to attract the attention of the audience with his unique coolness and understanding of killer instincts and showing them to the audience. On the verge of being arrested while sitting on a park bench in Zurich, Bourne easily knocks out two police officers. After that, in another sequence, he steps into a crowd of security forces of the American embassy, ​​easily removes three guards from his way and does not even raise an eyebrow while fighting with a crowd of police forces. Such scenes, shortly after the September 11th incident, were able to attract the attention of the audience because it was consistent with the topic of the day and the character of Damon was also a charismatic character.

Although Bourne is tormented by the realization that he is a serial killer, the incredible talents he possesses allow him to present a Matrix-like character to the audience. However, the difference between Bourne and the Matrix character lies in the fact that the powers of the Matrix 1999 character seem more fictional and unrealistic, while the martial arts of the “Bourne identity” character are more based on reality. Bourne encounters a killer in an apartment in Paris and uses everything at hand, including a pen, to fight him and defeat him.

The fight between them is fast and brutal at the same time. Bourne quickly gains the upper hand in every fight he enters and wins. Damon plays these violent moments as beautifully as possible and shows an incredible character to the audience, which in some scenes uses a contradictory character.

Another reason for the success of “Bourne Identity” is the existence of a director like Liman. While Paul Greengrass, in the next two sequences, was able to give a better effect to the film by using a hand-held camera, Liman was able to film the scenes in a more natural and audience-friendly way. Just like many dramas of the 90s, such as “NYPD Blue”, this film also uses the shaky camera technique (usually criticized by critics), but the extent of its use in this film is not comparable to today’s films.

In the deadly moments and deadly sequences of the film, i.e., the same scenes that happened in hotels and office lobbies, a camera was used for filming that is constantly rotating, and therefore these sequences can make the audience a little nervous and have a great impact on them. But from another point of view, some other sequences have such a certain sense of realism in them that the audience cannot imagine that they are fake. In addition, the use of European locations and car chases in the streets of Paris, which bring the classic police and thief stories to life in the minds of the audience, were also able to be extremely eye-catching.

In addition, the presence of a director like Alexander Veit for the filming of the second part of the film made the audience witness a great and exciting chase that makes the blood flow in their veins. In fact, the DNA of Luc Besson’s early work is clearly visible in The Bourne Identity, plus the film features unique Hindi-style action sequences only seen in Tom Tycour’s Bedo Lola Bedo, and the spirit of It inspires the audience with the desire for justice that is usually found in European films. This franchise tells a story whose main theme is the themes of sin and redemption, and these are the reasons why “The Bourne Identity” is one of the best action movies ever made.

But in the realistic sequels that were produced after this film, Green Grass was the director, and therefore it can be said that these films made him the key director of intelligent action films in the post-September 11 world (films such as United 93 and Captain Phillips). ) to introduce Therefore, since the Bourne Identity was a highly successful and unique film, its legacy remained in other franchises that were made after this film, and therefore, it is clear to see the impact that this film had on the films after it.

Bond is the most important franchise that benefited from the production of “Bourne Identity” because this franchise was able to produce the sequel Casino Royale in 2006, which is considered a turning point in this franchise and can be safely said to have saved it. In fact, the presence of Daniel Craig in the role of Bond, who questioned the identity of this character to a great extent during his five films, is the result of making a film like the identity of Bourne. The 2008 film Kidnapped (written by Besson) introduced action fans to a unique hero and a very special set of skills, thus attracting more people to the action genre.

In this movie, Liam Neeson plays a lovable character who suddenly turns into a mass killing machine. In addition, among the films that were made after “Bourne Identity”, we can mention the film “John Wick” by Keanu Reeves, in its fight sequences, tools that are available to all of us are used to a large extent, so it can definitely be said that he made We owe the creation of such a franchise to the movie “Bourne Identity”. Even the Marvel Cinematic Universe is not an exception to this rule, and films such as “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” show similarities to this unique film.

It’s true that some of the scenes in The Bourne Identity feel old and dated now, but Damon and Potente’s unique performances can still be entertaining and engaging for many viewers. The real chemistry between them, in addition to the presence of attractive and bloody action sequences, has been able to include other dimensions in the film besides action. The greatest impact of this film can be seen in the films that imitated its improved action style and made us realize that “Bourne” had a unique element in its chest.

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