Protagonist
The protagonist in Bourne is introduced in a way that immediately makes him an extremely interesting character; he doesn't know who he is or anything that has happened to him prior to the beginning of the movie. This type of character introduction is effective, as it gets the audience invested right off the start. There are so many questions about this intriguing character, and thus the audience is able to gather information about the protagonist at the same time as the protagonist himself. It is a search for identity, which is a common theme associated with main characters because it allows for character development and change throughout the course of the movie. This brings us to one of the big "problems" of the movie; the protagonist does not know anything about himself and needs to find out in order to get his life together and overcome the people who are inexplicably tracking him.
It is discovered he goes by the name Jason Bourne, and in my opinion he turns out to be a very likeable character. He is smart, tough, and resourceful, but at the same time he seems endearingly sensitive and confused. He is very determined and acts mainly on his instincts. This is a protagonist that people can admire, be awed by, and cheer for. Although he is almost supernaturally powerful, his search for identity and his desire to make good choices to right his wrongs and protect the one he loves is relatable. Many people feel as though they don't know exactly who they are, and along their journey to find themselves they may find that they in fact don't like who they are, and they must then strive to change it. This is essentially what Bourne's journey is about.
Bourne is a special character because he is a quiet, nice guy that is also an extremely skilled and powerful fighter. These two somewhat contradicting sides of him make him more interested and well-rounded, in a sense. His impressive skills make for cool and exciting fight and chase scenes, and in my opinion it is this, combined with the protectiveness he shows towards Marie, that wins over the audience and make him a good hero. He makes sacrifices in order to help others, i.e. telling Marie to go far away from him so that she will be safe, even though it hurts him to do that.
Bourne goes from having no information/identity to having a lot of information and multiple identities, and this leads to the change that he must make. He learns that before he lost his memory he had been a part of some terrible things, and he has to find out who he is in order to decide who he wants to be.
Antagonist
The antagonist in Bourne is essentially an entire organization; it is the CIA or something of the sort of the American government. This organization plays a crucial part in developing the plot, especially at the beginning of the movie. During Bourne's quest to find out information about himself, it often cuts back to the leader of the group to comment on his character, what is happening, and to drive what is going to happen next. This gives the audience some information as well as some questions, and it adds to the suspense through dramatic irony. In my opinion, this is an excellent antagonist for the movie; Bourne is so powerful that a single villain would not have cut it - at least not in a way that is interesting and somewhat believable. This group is clever, powerful, and harsh. They are scary because they have seemingly infinite knowledge and resources. They have people and cameras everywhere, and it seems as though the everyone is against the protagonist and he doesn't have a chance of beating this group which is shown to be so superior to him. This heightens the tension and presents near impossible odds, which only makes the audience cheer for the hero more.
Because Bourne was one of the CIA's hired assassins, it is as though many of the people in the organizations are versions of him. He must overcome the evil of the CIA and when he does, it is as though he is overcoming the evil in himself. That part of him is no longer there and he can move on with his life. The antagonist is vital here because it allows that parallel to be drawn and that change to happen.
Secondary Character
The most important secondary character is Marie. When she is introduced in the US Embassy, it is clear that she has some problems, which allows the protagonist to relate to her and feel for her. The problems that she is having there also set up for what happens next without it being too convenient; Bourne needs a ride, and she is there with her car for a reason that is explained and makes sense. Marie therefore helps drive the action because she assists Bourne in escaping, which allows for a lull of sorts before introducing a new confrontation later on.
It is through Marie that we learn more about Bourne himself, because he finally has someone to share things with. As she learns about him, the audience learns about him, and he becomes less internally focused. Because they begin to share things with each other, they become attached to one another. This heightens the stakes because it gives our protagonist something to fight and life for, as well as a reason to overcome his issues with the CIA and his issues with himself. She essentially gives him a reason to become the good person he wants to be.
She is an interesting character because she is not the average super hot female love interest, but she is brave and charismatic and chooses to be with Bourne rather than to be safe.
The secondary characters of Eamon and his children allow the stakes to be raised even more, and give Bourne a way to be sacrificial and let go of Marie.
The secondary character of the sniper following Bourne shows him what he was/could be, and enables him to choose against it.
Story Structure
This movie is an excellent example of the screenplay paradigm structure. There is a set up, confrontation, and resolution, with two essential plot points in between. In Bourne, the set up begins with the inciting incident that is Bourne being discovered in the ocean and dragged onto the boat. After that incident, it is established that he doesn't know who he is and needs to find out and reclaim his memory. Bourne going to the bank and finding all the passports and money in his vault is an essential point in the set up because it gives the audience a lot of questions and starts to establish the story. The first main plot point then happens in the US Embassy. Bourne pulls out a gun which results in an epic chase scene, and this is a crucial point in the plot because it is the point of no return - once it becomes clear who he is there is no going back, and he is on the run. The confrontation of the story occurs through all of Bourne and Maria's running away from and fighting the men who are chasing Bourne. It is basically minor confrontation after minor confrontation until the second main plot point is reached. This is when Bourne tells Maria to leave with Eamon in order to keep her safe, and he goes off by himself to try and get to the leader of the people who are trying to attack him. This is another turning point because, with Marie gone, he has nothing to lose and nothing to hinder him. Finally, the resolution of the film occurs through Bourne's confrontation with the leader of the CIA and his defeat, and the action descends to the point of Bourne being safe and finding Maria so that they can be together.
Originality
I feel that this movie is relatively original, and I enjoyed it well enough for an action movie. The character of Bourne is very interesting, and the way that the story starts gets you invested in the plot right away because of the numerous questions you have about him. Although the action of the movie is not very unique and in my opinion becomes a bit tedious, it is made more interesting because of the way the story switches back and forth between Bourne's journey and the CIA. More is revealed, little by little, until the audience can understand how the two stories go together, and I think this was a very effective way to tell the story. In addition, the audience gets that information mainly through action and events, not just boring dialogue. This made the movie much more enjoyable, especially because a love story was incorporated to allow for high stakes. Overall, I think most parts of this film worked quite well and allowed for an intriguing viewing experience.
