When Jason Bourne was first hooked out of the Mediterranean with bullet-holes in his body and similarly jagged craters in his mind, few would have wagered that: a) Matt Damon could convince as an amnesiac action man; and: b) that The Bourne Identity could convince as a sleek spy thriller. But convince they do, with blistering unarmed combat, screeching car chases and moral mugginess unfolding against a vivid European backdrop.

Buddying with Franke Potente's punky traveller to find out why scowly CIA bosses Brian Cox and Chris Cooper are out to finish him off, Damon surprises as a gratifyingly human super-agent. Of course, it doesn't hurt one bit that he can rag a Mini like Charlie Croker and crack skulls like Jet Li. Credit also to hip-flick helmer Doug Liman, whose kinetic lensing gives the action a fresh, frosty realism that feels distinctly anti-Hollywood.

What a downer, then, to find the plot leaking momentum as it chugs through final-third convolutions that fail to camouflage the fact that Bourne has run out of ideas. The film, like its befuddled protagonist, winds up with killer qualities but nowhere to run with them.

DVD Extras:

Featuring a new set of extras to the previous Bourne DVD, this Special Edition looks the biz but fails to satisfy. Things start interestingly enough, with scripter Tony Gilroy explaining alternate opening and closing scenes that were shot as a cautionary measure in the wake of 9/11. The majority of the disc, though, comprises six frustratingly brief featurettes. Ranging from three to six minutes each, these offer a whistle-stop tour of author Robert Ludlum, the scripting process, the real CIA and amnesiac trauma, as well as offering some meagre Making Of footage from the just-released sequel. More imaginative is the interactive sound-editing suite that breaks down the effects used in the car chase. But if the deleted scenes from the old disc are here, why isn't Liman's original commentary?