The Bourne Identity Theft

One quick illustration of how effectively the Bourne movies draw the viewer in: immediately after watching The Bourne Identity, I was doing some quick computer work and, as I watched my fingers flying over the keys, I realized my mind was seeing the act of typing and intense monitor engagement as if I were up to some super secret assignment. The next night, our borrowed-from-library copy of The Bourne Supremacy started laboring in our DVD player and finally froze at a moment of great suspense; we tried cleaning the disc, fast-forwarding around, but nothing worked. Then I thought to try things out on our little portable travel DVD player. As I was unpacking it, plugging wires into the TV, etc., I again felt as if I were in a race against time to decode hidden information. (We were able to finish the movie; mission accomplished!) Even as the more rational part of my brain looked on in amusement, the feeling of being Bourne (and then Bourne again! hah-hah) was still unmistakable. I remember, as a kid, running around playing Nerf football in the house after watching a big football game, but there's something gratifying about how a movie can still pull me in like that, even though I've never harbored any serious superspy aspirations.