The Bourne Identity: B-

I hear the book is a really fabulous read. I can tell from watching the movie that a print version could be really cool. The movie, however, has a pretty cool techno soundtrack that you can't get from any book I know.

Ok, Matt Damon stars in THIS spy thriller (Ben Affleck starred in the other one this summer) as a guy (I won't give away his name) in Europe with extraordinary stud-like abilities, but with amnesia. In trying to find answers, he hires a fellow European cutie to drive him around (I'm so glad that in movies the hero always gets the cutie to do him a favor rather than just the old guy at the bus station). The action cuts back to super-secret headquarters where super-secret intelligence head guy (Chris Cooper) keeps tabs on amnesia-boy and sends other agents to eliminate him because amnesia-boy is so dangerous running around Europe with amnesia.

The editing between the two locales alludes that there is something more than just a super-spy with amnesia running from assassins who are actually his associates who take from super-secret places. Actually, no, I guess that's it. As we follow amnesia-boy's trail of self-discovery we aren't surprised because super-secret headquarters has told us all about him already. I would have liked to know less about what wass going on. The point-of-view from amnesia-boy exclusively rather than from super-secret headquarters would have been much better.

When the action happens it is entertaining. Amnesia-boy doesn't know who he is, but he retains fighting skills and super-spy common sense. When he gets into trouble he handles things in a variety of ways, and good thing too, because the guys who are after him use different tactics themselves. One guy is a pretty good sniper and another straight-forwardly charges with machine guns (in a very amusing scene that reminded me of the Simpsons where they show a road rage video at driver's school and it shows a maniac wearing a space-suit driving a convertible standing up waving a golf club while sticking his tongue out and yelling).

Price of admission is worth it to see the stunt amnesia-boy performs at the end. Very amusing.