Best Action Film of the Decade

The Bourne Identity (2002)

Director Doug Liman may have burst onto the scene with Swingers and Go, but he hit his stride with The Bourne Identity. He singlehandedly saved the spy genre, and revved it up a notch (literally - - remember the mini cooper car chase scene – simply magnificent).

If it weren’t for Daniel Craig’s portrayal of Bond this decade, Matt Damon would be the only secret agent worth watching. In the Bourne Trilogy, Damon hasn’t earned the respect he deserves. Much like Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones (or better yet, Dr. Richard Kimble), Damon should have received an Oscar nomination for one of the Bourne films. He’s that good as Jason Bourne. There is as much depth in his performance as there is testosterone.

The supporting cast may well be as great an ensemble that’s ever been seen on screen in an action film: Chris Cooper (excellent), Brian Cox (stellar), Julia Stiles, Clive Owen, and Walton Goggins (incredible in The Shield -TV show- … one of my top ten TV shows of the decade).
This film will not merely be one of the greatest action films of the decade, but of this century … ok, maybe I am a little too excited about my list, or my first movie blog entry.