JLRMovieReviews Richard Chamberlain, star of TV miniseries The Thorn Birds and Shogun, appears as Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne in this 1988 TV adaptation of The Bourne Identity. Frankly I started this in May 2010, and the first 15 or 20 minutes (getting shot on the boat and his body getting washed up on the island) were so laughable, I couldn't get through it. But resolved to watch it or get rid of the DVD, I started it again one Saturday night in January 2011. The beginning still seemed stiff and dated and his acting limited, but once off the island and meeting Jaclyn Smith, the pace picked up. It doesn't compare to the modern remake with Matt Damon, but it works to a degree. It made me think of those old British espionage thrillers, like Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (without the fancy technology,) but it is nowhere as good as that, either. Despite the comparisons and where I found it lacking, I think I would watch it again. Jaclyn Smith, a former Charlie's Angel, gives this TV movie a character you can relate to and the presence of older actors like Anthony Quayle, Donald Moffitt, and Denholm Elliott gives this even more credibility. I especially liked how they handled the ending. Given the fact you're dealing with Richard Chamberlain, you should just enjoy Robert Ludlum's story and let it all go.

sanddragon939 Having read the original novel and seen the 2002 film 'adaptation' starring Matt Damon, I was always curious to see this older rendition of Robert Ludlum's most ingenious and complex novel, The Bourne Identity. Having recently had the opportunity to do so, I can safely say that this miniseries, starring Richard Chamberlain is as good as it gets. This film is meticulously close to the original novel and truly recaptures the feel of Ludlum's suspenseful Cold War era thriller about an amnesiac on a quest to rediscover his identity in a cloak and dagger world of espionage and murder. The locations are wonderful and really add on to the story. The action scenes are no where near as stylistic as those in the Damon version and therefore greatly benefit from a more realistic and gritty tone. The music too is brilliant and highlights the mysterious and suspenseful theme of the movie. This film has only two shortcomings. Firstly, Richard Chamberlain, though a great actor, comes across as being a bit too mild to be Jason Bourne, whom, as anyone who has read the novel or its sequels would know, is an on-edge killing machine. He comes across as being only moderately convincing in the more brutal actions of the character on screen. Secondly, although Yorgo Voyagis does a fair job as Carlos, the ruthless assassin determined to eliminate Bourne, he in no way captures the aura of mystery that lies around the Carlos of the novel, who is a faceless manipulator seated at the center of a web of deceit. But then again, Chamberlain more than makes up for his relative inability to portray Bourne's violent side with his excellent portrayal of Bourne's ingenuity and skill as a 'Chameleon' (something Matt Damon has thus far never brought onto the screen), and I can quite understand that the directors did not wish to spend much time establishing Carlos, since Bourne is the true center of the viewers attention. A mention must be made of Jaclyn Smith, who plays the part of Marie St. Jacques to perfection, though she barely physically resembles the character in the novel. All in all, this movie is certainly the definitive rendition of Ludlum's great thriller.

Bjorn (ODDBear) Made in the era when the mini-series were in relatively high regard and one classic was swiftly followed by another, this very respectable version of "The Bourne Identity" was released and, if memory serves, it was quite popular.Production values here are very good, it's tightly written (for the most part) and the Robert Ludlum story is full of surprises and suspense. Despite the three hour-plus running time it never slows down too much and keeps a solid momentum.Richard Chamberlain is no Robert De Niro but he pulls the role off well enough. He's quite fit and handles himself in the action department admirably. There are some good supporting actors here as well but I've never thought Jaclyn Smith to be a very good actress. She's wonderful eye candy but I didn't find her believable here at all. But then I never do.Also, call me crazy but I actually prefer this to the Superhuman agent Matt Damon portrayed in the big budget trilogy based on the Ludlum novels. Chamberlain looks a bit more human and he actually takes beatings here and gets bruised like a normal human being. He's a good fighter but nothing that borders on supernatural.

rixrex Chamberlain was probably happy to shoot this film in Europe, but I'm sure he like the pay as well. At this time he was probably the highest paid actor doing films specifically made for TV broadcast.I got the DVD of it yesterday, and the main reason I got it was because I just watched the Matt Damon series, and was curious to see how this was adapted for the "small screen" (not so small anymore). It's very different but held up well on its own, as I see it. It has things that the Damon films miss, such as in-depth character development, mostly due to being twice as long too, and a much more realistic lead character. It also has other things that make it a lesser film, like some unrealistic plot contrivances and occasionally overplayed emotional conflicts, similar to what you'd see on popular TV shows of the time like Dallas and Dynasty.One thing I like much better in the older version was the wider shots of most action scenes. This version translates well to a large screen, whereas the new version uses too many super-tight close-up action shots. These are typically used when the wider action shots don't really work well, and the closer shots give the viewer less detailed info about the action, but more movement across the screen, so as to make viewers think they saw lots of intense action.