Date made	1988
Running Time	3 hr 1 min
Starring	Richard Chamberlain
Cert 15 (UK)

I have to admit that I wasn't holding out much hope for this version. The Matt Damon version bears only a passing resemblance to the book, and I have never been a fan of Richard Chamberlain. I have never quite understood, why women swoon after him. In this he is obviously past his prime (I think jealousy might be creeping in here!).

However the 2 part mini series is quite a revelation. It generally follows the plot of the book, even including Marie's rape, which persuades her that he might be a good guy after all. (Remember he goes back for her after learning her fate).

We actually meet the members of Treadstone, at the Brownstone, the murder of the team, and Bourne being set up for the murder. We even have a moody Carlos in the background with his army of old men, with a final showdown, in which Carlos escapes, so there might have been the possibility of a follow up. The film even shows a couple of flash backs of David Webbs family.

The one aspect of the book that is dropped, and it is the core of the book, which the Damon version for all it's faults does allude to now and then, is the loss of Bournes memory. I think this gets mentioned once at the very start, and that's it, yet it is the whole reason for the mad chase that develops.

The pace is a little off at times, and some of the chase scenes in the film don't really hold water by todays standards. They actually seem quite pedestrian, but then it is a film of it's time.

The one aspect that I'm pleased about is the character of Marie. Portrayed in the film as a clever articulate woman, who can reach her own conclusions, unlike the simpering wimp in the later version. Jaclyn Smith is easy on the eye, and does a pretty good job of filling out the book version of the character.

I did spot one major flaw, during the rescue of Marie, Bourne is shot in the side, and in a pretty bad way. In the following scene, in the morning, he has fully recovered, not even a bloody bandage - whoops!

In the new film version, I had a real problem with the Marie character, which I won't go into again. In this version it is the casting of Chamberlain, who I think was a tad to old and soft to be Bourne. In the book he is a lean hardened undercover agent - tired, stressed out, but not flabby. However he does make a decent fist of playing the role. I think Chamberlains age and looks are the only real disappointment with this version - which for 3 hours of TV is really a minor quibble. Made today, it would probably have a faster pace, and some of the action would be better done, but for it's time it probably was as good as you would expect.

Elements have been messed around with, the meeting in the Paris graveyard being one, but it doesn't alter the main thrust of the story which remains loyal to the book. I think this shows the advantage of filming a mini series rather than trying to cram it into a 2 hour film, which is what Hollywood usually tries.

If you have seen the Matt Damon version of the film, have a go at this, and see what the book is really about. Overall I would go with this version rather than the Damon version.