K. Makishima

Period 4

The Bourne Identity

Directed by: Doug Liman

The Hook - For me the hook of this film comes about 5 minutes into it, after the main character, Jason Bourne, has been found adrift at sea with two bullets in his back. More intriguing though is the fact that he has an implant in his hip with a bank account number and no recollection of who he is or where he came from. Right away you know that this film is going to be a mystery and, after a quick cut over to an upper level government agency that’s in uproar over a “failed mission”, you quickly realize that there’s more going on than meets the eye.

Plot Point #1 - While I believe that an extremely important plot point takes place when Bourne goes to the bank and opens his safety deposit box filled to the brim with cash, passports, and a gun, I believe the more imperative sequence of the film takes place starting at the U.S. embassy and ending with Bourne meeting Marie. While the entire sequence is about 5 minutes long it culminates around 26 minutes into the movie. I believe this sequence is important because it is the first time that Bourne’s abilities are fully revealed. His programming and training kick in and he manages to escape from the police. It is also important because it leads him to meet Marie who comes to be his companion and eventually a romantic interest for the character. It also announces to the government officials who had believed him to be dead, that he was in fact alive, and from this moment on Bourne is on the run.

Plot Point #2 - I think the second important sequence of the film takes place about 1 hour and 29 minutes in. It is when Bourne and Marie have gone to take refuge at the home of one of Marie’s relatives. Bourne has been tracked down by another trained assassin and in order to protect Marie, her relative, and his children, Bourne sets out to hunt him down. Bourne shoots the man and it is the first time in the film that he is shown actually killing someone. The assassin codenamed “the Professor” informs Bourne about the government project called “Treadstone” that they were both involved in then dies from bullet wounds. This whole sequence in my mind represented a change in Bourne who went from trying to discover who he was and where he came from, to realizing he didn’t want to know. At this juncture Bourne must also separate himself from Marie. From this point on though Bourne’s goal is to find the people hunting him down and do whatever he has to in order to get his life back.

The Three Act Paradigm - This film did fit the three act paradigm in my opinion. The film starts out like a mystery, then shifts toward a story about a man on the run, and finally culminates with the man’s confrontation of his past and eventual escape from it.