Uriah43 The mini-series begins with a gunfight between two men on the deck of a ship passing through a storm somewhere in the Meditterean Sea. One of the men is shot and tumbles overboard and rapidly sinks into the murky water. Fortunately, he recovers his strength long enough to surface and eventually gets washed ashore on the southern coast of France. Unconscious and bleeding from two bullet wounds he is taken to a village doctor by the name of "Dr. Geoffrey Washburn" (Denholm Elliott) who carefully patches him up. When his patient finally regains consciousness Dr.Washburn discovers that he has no recollection of anything—including his name. Yet it soon becomes apparent that he has a good skill with guns and self-defense. Not only that, but while he hunts for clues to his identity he also discovers that paid killers and the law are hunting for him as well. Now rather than reveal any more and risk spoiling this film for those who haven't seen it I will just say that the entire plot featured mystery and action throughout. Although Richard Chamberlain (as "Jason Bourne") and Jaclyn Smith ("Marie St. Jacques") performed in a decent manner, I thought the made-for-television format hampered what could have been an outstanding movie and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

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.

gerry159 Last night I was pleasantly surprised and saw the TV version of The Bourne Idendtity starring Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith and I found it very intense and thrilling. Yes, I have the Bourne Trilogy which I like a lot because it stars Matt Damon and I'm a big fan of his. After seeing the TV version I can see that Damon is a little too young for Bourne but they did bring the story forward to suit the star and that's all right, too. But I sure won't knock the TV version as I would think that Chamberlain was closer to the age that Bourne should be. As to comparing a movie or TV to a book is not feasible 'cause we're talking about two different mediums. I'm happy with both versions and plan to watch the TV version again. It stands the test of time.

alfo This is one of the best espionage/thriller ever produced on television. It's a shame that this production ended on television and not in the big screen during its released in 1988. Although, it's understandable because during those times television was definitely much "bigger" than the movies....plus the stars Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith were the sort of royalties of U.S. television -- dubbed King & Queen of Miniseries.Excellent performances which was awarded with nominations from the Golden Globe and Emmy Awards. This is true to the book. If you're going to watch the movie version with Matt Damon make sure you see this one first...