I'm not going to waste any time talking about how good this movie is. It's pretty fucking good. And, I guess, with the redux coming out in a matter of days, now seems about as good a time as any to revisit it in all its fast-paced, action-film-on-crack glory. The film that turned Matt Damon into a star. And what a star - they did a good job in this film of making him look like one too. Farm-boy, bred-on-milk-and-corn good looks and a piercing stare, but a jujitsu-honed body that could snap at any minute and, ninja-style, render a whole office of customs officers completely useless. He looked harmless and dressed harmless (those turtlenecks!) but boy he packed a punch. But really it's Franka Potente that I want to talk about. I loved her early noughties uniform in this film. Midi skirts, wedge knee high boots, leather jackets and, yep, more turtlenecks. It kind of reminds me a little bit of what Julia Roberts wore in Notting Hill. There isn't that much between the two films, so it makes sense. It just has a little more of that Charlie's Angels badass kick to it. I mean, those leather jackets, let's talk about those. Motorcycle jackets with bootleg jeans to charm the pants of the porter at the Hotel Regina. Tailored leather jackets with elasticated waists (DIY peplums!) for hand-on-hand combat in Parisian apartments. Wool coats with leather epaulettes and ribbed sweaters to hide out from bounty hunters in the country. The kind of clothes that you can get stuff done in.
She was no, nonsense, Marie was, and I think that's what I like best about her. In the tradition of action movies, she was a hapless "civvie" dragged along for the ride because of unhappy circumstance who ends up being more useful than anyone could know. This is action movie lore. But somehow Marie ended up being better than just your average Jane Black screaming her way through various action scenes. A little known German actress at the time, Potente was exposed to international audiences in the German thriller Run Lola Run. So, I guess, in many ways, it was a risk to cast Potente, but she was so right for the role. The way she contrasts against the other main woman in the film - Julia Stiles - is perfect. American CIA bureaucrat versus European layabout slipping through the cracks of a cracked system. She even had choppy hair, against Stiles' long blonde mane. That tattoo, that go-getter sensibility, that motorcycle jacket (pretty Acne, no?). What a lady boss, the perfect partner for the butt-kicking Jason Bourne, on a mission to get his memory back. I'm sure you've all seen this film, but next time, take a chance to appreciate those leather jackets. They're pretty fine.
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