The Bourne Identity Parent Guide

Parent Movie Review
by Kerry Bennett

CIA agents and their covert activities have been a hot topic in the movie world lately with films like The Sum of All Fears and Bad Company. Now this government agency is chasing down one of their own in the action thriller The Bourne Identity.

On a storm-ravaged night, fishermen working on the Mediterranean haul in a bullet punctured body floating in the ocean. When their “catch” revives, he has no memory of who he is or how he got there. Set ashore by the rescuing sailors, his only clue is a vial of microfilm found implanted in his hip. After he tracks down the bank account number stored on the film, he finds a stash of cash, fake passports, and finally a name to call himself.

But while Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) tries to unravel who he is, someone out there already knows and they’re out to net him, dead or alive (with dead seeming to be their first choice). Hunted down by highly trained agents on orders from their supervisor (Chris Cooper), Bourne strains to outwit his assassins and avoid their high-powered weapons with the help of a young woman (Franka Potente). Yet, worse then waking up and not knowing who he is, the amnesiac begins to discover a past he wants no part in.

Filmed on locations in Greece, France and the Czech Republic, The Bourne Identity is filled with scenic backgrounds and historic venues. However, it is also full of automatic gunfire, stalking snipers and highly trained combat moves that result in plenty of blood baths. Jason Bourne may be the agency’s number one target but the mission is fraught with rising numbers of dead and injured caught in the not-so-friendly fire.

Regrettably, the violence in this film overshadows the underlying story. In one scene, Bourne stares at his reflection in the window, trying to find anything familiar about the face looking back at him. With so much of our identity tied up in our name and our past, that story line may have been intriguing enough without all the bullets.

Directed by Doug Liman. Starring Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper. Running time: 119 minutes. Theatrical release June 13, 2002. Updated July 17, 2017

About author

Kerry Bennett

Kerry Bennett is interested in media from both a journalist and parent perspective. Along with authoring articles for several family-oriented publications, she has written for Parent Previews for over 15 years. As a parent herself, she believes parents play a powerful role in teaching media literacy in their homes.

The Bourne Identity
Rating & Content Info

Why is The Bourne Identity rated PG-13? The Bourne Identity is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for violence and some language.

Violence: D+

Body is seen floating in a turbulent ocean. Character operates on man to remove bullets, includes use of knife, some blood seen. Contains numerous scenes of character being attacked and graphic hand-to-hand combat including the use of objects. Characters exchange gunfire, innocent bystanders at risk. Soldiers storm building. Man kicked and knocked down stairs. Characters discuss assassination attempts. Man arms himself with a kitchen knife. Character breaks through windowpane, starts shooting with automatic weapon; fight ensues, with blood shown. Character graphically stabbed with letter opener. Character jumps to his death. A character that was shot in head is shown. Couple argues briefly. Car chase with crashes, reckless driving and property damage is shown. Characters identify body in morgue. Sniper kills man. Man roughly pushes woman. Character breaks into home. Gas tank is shot and blows up. Characters stalk and fire shots at one another; man dies (some blood). Dog is assumed killed and children are threatened. Character holds a gun to man’s head in front of his children. Characters push and punch one another. Gunfire in apartment building causes damage and leaves numerous agents dead. Character killed by own agents, shots are fired directly into body.

Sexual Content: B-

Brief scene shows a Couple kissing passionately: woman’s bare shoulders and man’s chest and back are seen. Woman is seen in bra. Couple embraces.

Language: C-

Includes one extreme sexual expletive, five moderate and 11 mild profanities and 16 uses of terms of Deity for expletives.

Alcohol / Drug Use: C+

Characters smoke in several scenes. Customer drinks at a bar. Woman under stress comments on needing a drink; drinks directly from bottle.

Miscellaneous Concerns:

Woman vomits and appears to suffer some form of shock following stressful encounter. Government officials are involved in cover-up scheme.

Page last updated July 17, 2017