The Bourne Identitywriter reflects on the first movie in the series. 2002’sThe Bourne Identityis an adaptation of the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name, following the story of a man who faces amnesia and is attempting to escape his assassins and regain his memory. The first film in the franchise saw a screenplay co-written by Tony Gilroy and William Blake Herron, and was directed by Doug Liman.The Bourne Identitycast includedMatt Damon, Chris Cooper, Franka Potente, Clive Owen, and Brian Cox.
In an interview withLetterboxd, Gilroy reflects onThe Bourne Identity. The writer explains thatthe attacks on 9/11 ended up rescuing the movie, as it got delayedand gave the team more time. Before that point, the film had been “an absolute disaster,” with Gilroy going so far as to say that it was “just an absolute rollercoaster of sh*t that turned into a success.” He goes on to say that he thinksThe Bourne Identityis the best movie in the franchise. Check out the full quote from Gilroy below:
It was an absolute disaster. And it was a disaster and then 9/11 saved that movie. Because it got pushed off and it got shut down and the pressure was taken off. But that’s a movie that was a whole year away from massive rehab and everything else. It’s just an absolute rollercoaster of sh*t that turned into a success all the time. It’s really unbelievable. Because nothing should, you know, all the bad blood and disagreements, and drama. Oh my god, as I said, it’s been the most shambolic success in Hollywood I can think of.
It pains me to say, but the first one’s probably the best one. I mean it really is. It has such a weird stink on it when it comes on. It just has a, it really has its own smell and its own flavor. And what is it? It’s really unique. I wish I could say it was all intentional and vent out, but like it exists. It’s a wonderful thing. It doesn’t matter how it happened, it just happened. It came to be.
What This Means For The Bourne Identity
The Movie Was Well-Reviewed
Gilroy was no novice writer when he took onThe Bourne Identity. After making his screenwriting debut withThe Cutting Edgein 1992, Gilroy went on to pen a more high-profile work withMichael Bay’sArmageddon. As such, he knew what did and did not make a Hollywood success at that point in his career. In retrospect, he is even more easily able to recognize what was going wrong in the initial phases ofThe Bourne Identity, as he has gotten far enough in his career that he is now an Oscar nominee for his work onMichael Clayton.
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Gilroy is also not the only person who believes thatThe Bourne Identityis among the best in the franchise. With an84% Tomatometer, the movie is the second-best-reviewedBournemovie. The best-reviewed in 2007’sThe Bourne Ultimatum, which currently holds a 92%. Still, the Certified Fresh score means that Gilroy and the other screenwriters' hard work paid off, ultimately producing aBournemovie that audiences and critics were satisfied with.
Our Take On The Bourne Identity’s Development
In This Case, Delays Helped The Movie
In 2025, it is interesting to hear about a movie whose delays worked to its advantage. In the last five years, the film industry at large has experienced two major production setback periods. The first came in 2020, when the world was rattled by the COVID-19 pandemic. The next came in 2023, when Hollywood was faced with strikes from both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA. These periods were considered a detriment to the film industry, and while 9/11 delays caused their own degree of fear and problems, the lull gaveThe Bourne Identitymore time to breathe.
The Bourne Identity
Cast
After waking up at sea with no memory of who he once was, Jason Bourne travels the world to discover his identity while mysterious assassins try to kill him. Matt Damon stars as Jason Bourne, a character first appearing in Robert Ludlum’s 1980 spy novel The Bourne Identity. The film was followed by The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, both of which were also adaptations of Ludlum’s work.
