This essay compares the book “The Bourne Identity” by Robert Ludlum and the film of the same name directed by Doug Liman. The movie stars Matt Damon as Jason Bourne and Franka Potente as Marie St. Jacques. Despite having the same title, there are significant differences between the book and the movie. The book provides more detailed storytelling, better character development, and is easier to understand. On the other hand, the movie primarily focuses on action scenes. In my opinion, the book offers a more satisfying storyline in comparison to its predictable and unengaging cinematic adaptation (to an extent that it even made me fall asleep).
There were notable disparities between the movie and book, revealing an unexpected contrast. Despite maintaining the central plot of Jason Bourne’s quest for self-discovery, the challenges and occurrences diverged entirely. The book adeptly portrayed various locations and moments with meticulous description, whereas the film amalgamated these settings into a single entity. Furthermore, certain characters like Geoffrey Washburn and Marquis de Chamford were omitted from the movie.
The book excluded important scenes showcasing Jason Bourne’s skills and emotions, while the movie introduced new or altered characters like Marie St. Jacques. This made it harder to comprehend the plot after reading the book. Despite similarities in Jason Bourne’s portrayal across both mediums, the book offered a more detailed depiction of his character. It soon became evident that the movie lacked the smoothness and captivating quality found in the book. I had high expectations for Dr. Geoffrey Washburn’s appearance in the film.
Throughout the book, Jason Bourne often had visions/flashbacks of Washburn’s wise words, which proved to be a valuable asset to his character. These visions gave him strength and aided him in his quest to discover his true identity. In my opinion, the film would have been improved by including the intelligent dialogue and discoveries of Dr. Geoffrey Washburn. An example of this is when Washburn noticed that alterations had been made to Jason Bourne’s face, allowing him to seamlessly blend in with society and avoid drawing attention.
Washburn studied and prepared Jason Bourne before allowing him to venture into the world. One example was making him join a challenging fishing crew to demonstrate his readiness. And as always, Jason Bourne showed his readiness for any situation. Unfortunately, the movie did not include Geoffrey Washburn or mention him, which was disappointing considering he played a crucial role in shaping Jason Bourne’s upbringing and assisting him in uncovering his identity and purpose.
Marie St. Jacques, a character in the book, was initially taken hostage by Bourne and described as a highly intelligent and cunning Swedish woman employed by the Canadian government. Despite managing to escape from Bourne, she was later apprehended by the police who used her to locate Jason. Once they found him, they tried to kill Marie but were surprised when Bourne secretly monitored her and came to her rescue. This created a strong bond between them and made Marie eager to help him uncover his true identity, leading to quick development of romantic feelings towards Bourne.
In the film, none of what was mentioned above occurred. Instead, She was convinced with a bribe to assist Bourne and was portrayed as a desperate young woman in need of money to remain in Sweden. Contrary to the book, she displayed a consistent fondness for Jason Bourne throughout the entire film. Both the book and the movie also emphasized her tendency to frequently relocate and avoid settling in one place for too long. In summary, I personally found the book more captivating and unpredictable as I was constantly unsure of what would transpire next.
The movie was not satisfying due to its lack of intimate detail and a weak script dialogue. This ultimately resulted in the characters lacking the chemistry that they had in the book. When reading the book, I really got to know the characters, but in the film, it seemed like they were included only for financial reasons. In my opinion, the book is better and I would recommend it to anyone. Nonetheless, for fans of action movies, the film can still be enjoyable.
