The Bourne Identity

Friday, December 20 - Saturday, December 21, 2019

*Please note the late-night screenings on Fri 12/20 and Sat 12/21 begin at 12:10am, not 11:59pm!*

“Mired as we are in a world of finger-pointing between the CIA and FBI over ignored terrorist threats and holding our collective breath over unimaginable wars on the Indian subcontinent and in the Middle East, it’s refreshing to relax in the purely fictional realm of a slick espionage thriller like THE BOURNE IDENTITY.

“While hurting for any sense of romance or meaty character interaction, the Doug Liman-directed movie does capture the pulp verve of those 1960s Cold War thrillers directed by the likes of Guy Hamilton and Terence Young. A top cast headed by Matt Damon and Run Lola Run‘s Franka Potente, Dan Weil’s superb design work in a production filmed in Paris, Prague, Italy and Greece and John Powell’s pulsating score all ease us comfortably into that shadowy movie world of assassins and spies. Domestic and overseas box office should be brisk.

“Breaking form with his usual low-budget, youth-oriented essays in Southern California lifestyles, Liman (Swingers, Go) embraces the spy genre with enthusiasm. While there’s never a dull moment, the film, derived from a Robert Ludlum novel, is too mechanical and plot-driven to veer very far into character. Indeed, the key to the movie is that its hero has no identity: Damon’s character suffers from amnesia.” – The Hollywood Reporter (2002)

Screening as part of our Autumn 2019 series, “Waverly Midnights: Spy Games.”

  • Country USA
  • Rating PG-13
  • Year 2002
  • Running Time 119 minutes
  • Distributor Universal
  • Director Doug Liman
  • Writer Robert Ludlum (novel), Tony Gilroy (screenplay), W. Blake Herron (screenplay)
  • Editor Saar Klein
  • Cinematographer Oliver Wood
  • Cast Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.