Just three years after “Go,” Liman was handed his first big budget studio movie — an action picture that would have a profound affect on the next decade of filmmaking (and beyond) thanks to its grittiness, shaky camerawork and almost cubist editing style. Not that anyone thought “The Bourne Identity” would shake things up. Instead, it was based on an ancient Robert Ludlum novel about an amnesiac spy (Matt Damon) who wakes up and has to figure out who he is, while avoiding all sorts of villainous forces plotting against him.
The movie holds up incredibly well, even though subsequent sequels (by Paul Greengrass) have gotten much of the attention. This is one of those moments in Liman’s career where his commitment to innovation turned out to be an actual game changer for the entire industry.
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