Originating as ‘Jason Bourne’ in the 1980 Robert Ludlum novel The Bourne Identity, this character has truly taken on a life of his own. With the original trilogy penned by Ludlum himself, there have since been eight further, sequel novels written by Eric Van Lustbader, since Ludlum died in March 2001. The best-selling books feature the character (‘Bourne’ is his alias) as a Foreign Service Officer during the Vietnam War, who finds himself trying to unlock lost memories and attempting to discover the reason for his apparent connection to Carlos The Jackal.
This premise was clearly felt to have Hollywood potential, as production began on 2002’s The Bourne Identity. Though the title of that movie – and its sequels – remained faithful to their source material, the initial three films proved to be very loose adaptations – taking the essential story elements, along with the central character, and embellishing them with additional narrative and new story points, more suitable for cinema. Dispensing with the Jackal connection, and making Bourne a Captain in the US Army Special Forces, the films focus on his quest to uncover his true identity, and the reason behind the many attempts on his life.
It was the presentation of the Bourne character in the first film trilogy that became a significant influence in film. On its release in 2002, the frenzied, raw power and violence of the fight scenes in The Bourne Identity were somewhat unprecedented in a genre usually filled with the glossy, stylish confrontations of James Bond and the like. Drawing the audience in close on these explosions of rage, as well as the emotional turmoil of the character, heralded a new era in espionage/spy thriller movie-making and delivered a fascinating new hero. Film number four – The Bourne Legacy – brought with it the opportunity for the biggest and boldest evolution of the character yet, as Bourne star Matt Damon chose not to return. Instead of simply replacing him – as is customary in the Bond franchise – writer/director Tony Gilroy deviated even further from the literature, producing a new story that overlaps with the events of Ultimatum, while introducing Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner). Cross is necessarily depicted as technically being a different person, but in terms of structure and mechanics, is essentially the Bourne character in a new guise.
Since 2002, the Bourne/Cross amalgam has become the template for the modern action hero – setting a new trend for quietly menacing, highly trained, off-radar military-types, with danger simmering just below the surface. His influence was most recently felt in the 2010 movie Salt.
