# The Bourne Identity (1988)

> A wounded amnesiac rescued at sea discovers he is a world-class spy hunted by the very people he must trust.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/23400

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 2
- Episode runtime: 93 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, action, thriller
- Created by: Robert Ludlum
- Network: ABC
- Cast: Richard Chamberlain, Jaclyn Smith, Anthony Quayle, Donald Moffat, Yorgo Voyagis, Peter Vaughan, Denholm Elliott, Michael Habeck
- TMDB rating: 6.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094791/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: paranoid, brooding, tense, propulsive

## What critics say

Audiences rate this 1988 two-part adaptation of Robert Ludlum's novel as mixed, with a respectable but unremarkable spy thriller that follows the source's amnesia premise.

## Synopsis

The Bourne Identity (1988) is an American spy thriller miniseries created by Robert Ludlum and broadcast on ABC. Richard Chamberlain plays Jason Bourne, a wounded man pulled from the sea by a fisherman with no memory and only a Swiss bank account number to guide him. As he reconstructs his life, he discovers that the combat and mental skills he displays belong to a world-class spy, and that many people he meets want him dead. Jaclyn Smith plays Marie St. Jacques, a woman whose allegiances remain uncertain, while Anthony Quayle, Donald Moffat and Denholm Elliott add layers of intrigue as officials and operatives circling his past. The engine of the story is a chase in which each clue Bourne uncovers draws him closer to danger, and each encounter forces him to question who he can trust. Told across two long episodes of roughly ninety minutes each, it plays as a continuous, international cat-and-mouse narrative. Shot with the glossy, tension-driven style of 1980s network espionage, it carries a brooding, paranoid tone and a steady sense of dread. Fans of the Ludlum novels, the later Matt Damon film franchise, and The Equalizer will find resonance in its blend of identity mystery and relentless pursuit.

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