Bourne Identity

By Robert Ludlum

I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend people to read this fast paced thriller. This novel revolves around the life of Jason Bourne. Jason is first found half dead in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. He is saved, but cannot remember anything about himself. He soon learns that he has millions of dollars stored in a Swiss bank. With the help of Marie St. Jacques, his lover, he sets of to find out about his life that he cannot remember. However, Jason also finds himself being hunted by the CIA and the world’s most notorious killer, Carlos. I would recommend this book for 2 main reasons:

1. This book is superbly written. Ludlum uses every tool in a writer’s arsenal to make his book as creative as any. Never does this book drag on and become boring. We are hooked into the story almost immediately after starting it. Ludlum often uses dramatic irony to add more suspense to his novel and keep the reader at the edge of their seat. The language in this novel is highly sophisticated and we are sometimes forced to look in a dictionary to find the definition of the word.

2. The characters in this book are wonderfully developed. Through the course of the book, we learn everything about Jason and the other characters in this novel. Personality is revealed, motives become evident and we can connect with the characters. Since we can connect with the characters, it adds more emotion to the novel. When something good happens, the reader can feel the excitement with Jason and when something bad happens, we are more inclined to feel sorry for him.

This book was made into a movie and I personally think it was very good. The actors were excellent and I think they were well chosen. Matt Damon was very good in this movie and gave a gave an outstanding performance, but if I had to choose alternate actors, I would choose Leonardo DiCaprio as Jason Bourne and Amy Adams as Maire St. Jacques. It was actually quite easy to pick actors for this role because, as I stated before, the characters were very well described.

I would cast Leonardo DiCaprio as Jason Bourne because he is one of my favorite actors of all time. In Blood Diamond, DiCaprio gave a stunning performance, similar to how Jason Bourne would need to be portrayed. Leonardo even got an Oscar nomination for that role, so you know he is a great choice to place Jason Bourne.

Also, I would cast the rising superstar, Amy Adams, as Marie St. Jacques. Ludlum describes Marie as having long, auburn hair and being incredibly witty and smart. That is why I think Amy would be perfect for this role. She fits the physical description and is extremely capable of anything that is thrown her way, as her 2 Oscar nominations prove to us.

Any great movie needs music. The Bourne Identity is an extremely fast paced and exciting novel. For the movie, the music would have to be the same. In the book, Jason is confused and fighting a war with the rest of the world for unknown reasons. Therefore, I think that the music for this movie should reflect Jason’s feelings. That is why I think ‘With An Iron Fist,’ by Immediate Music would be a great song for this movie. It is exciting and very fast paced. This will add that extra suspense to this movie and would be an excellent edition for the movie’s soundtrack.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwYWBecZytA

By: Philip Chkipov