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Reviews
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Sequel, then original, then book.
Sequel, then original, then book. That is the recommended order of exposure for any film, and this is no exception. I've never read the book, but did see the original movie, which was decent but not spectacular. When I heard about the remake, and then saw previews, I was pretty excited about seeing it. It looked as though they had significantly improved the action sequences, something that I felt the original film was lacking.
I was right about the action sequences. The fights are well choreographed, and the chase scene--despite the obvious tie-in with the new Mini campaign in the U.S.--was very well done. Had they just made these changes, I think the film would have been truly excellent.
But for reasons unclear (perhaps to draw a wider audience, or for easier international distribution), they dumbed down the plot significantly. The characters are made unidimensional (or non-dimensional, as in the absolute waste they made of Julia Stiles's involvement), and the changes to the plot move it from Ran to Mission Impossible: both required suspension of disbelief, but the latter also required suspension of thinking. Why is it that Hollywood refuses to make intelligent action flicks?
This one is worth a rental, if only for the action sequences. If you never read the book or saw the original, take a chance on it, I guess
5/10.
The Invisible Circus (2001)
Slightly More Interesting Than A Sleeping Old Man
About a quarter of the way into "Invisible Circus," I and those sitting around me found ourselves far more amused by the person snoring loudly than by anything happening on the screen. That, in and of itself, is a partial indictment of the film. But then, there are some really excellent movies that also induce sleep.
The movie traces the obsession of an 18-year-old over her older sister's suicide, and her attempt to follow in the footsteps of her sister's last months. This film falls into that large category of movies that seem to have an interesting set of ingredients, but somehow didn't get cooked right. That's not to say that it is terrible--you need to go to see Anti-Trust for that--it just doesn't fit together too neatly. In trying to be a love story-thriller-mystery-coming of age genre-bender, you end up with a movie that does none of them well. As a mystery it is far too predictable, as a thriller I was unmoved, the love story is monochromatic, the actors rarely move beyond wooden.
Which is all really too bad. This is a movie that could have worked. The cinematography captures some really stunning location shots, and the story itself is interesting. The execution, however, falls flat.
Wait and rent it. Or go rent "The English Patient" instead.