The Bourne Identity (soundtrack)

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The Bourne Identity (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
The Bourne Identity (soundtrack).jpg
Film score by
ReleasedJune 11, 2002
Recorded2001–2002
Studio
Genre Film score
Length53:09
Label Varèse Sarabande
Producer John Powell
Bourne soundtracks chronology
The Bourne Identity
(2002)
The Bourne Supremacy
(2004)
No.TitleLength
1."Main Titles"4:17
2."Bourne Gets Well"1:20
3."Treadstone Assassins"2:09
4."At the Bank"4:07
5."Bourne on Land"1:42
6."Escape from Embassy"3:12
7."The Drive to Paris"0:12
8."The Apartment"3:25
9."At the Hairdressers"1:29
10."Hotel Regina"2:11
11."The Investigation"1:34
12."Taxi Ride"3:43
13."At the Farmhouse"2:54
14."Jason Phones It In"3:04
15."On Bridge Number 9"3:41
16."Jason's Theme"2:20
17."Mood Build"3:34
18."The Bourne Identity"6:00
19."Drum and Bass Remix"2:15
Total length:53:09

Reception

Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks panned the music, saying "the harsh electronic and string rhythms are the key selling point for the score to The Bourne Identity, and the main chopping, descending chase motif is all that most listeners will ever remember from the work [...] Looped rhythms, keyboarded effects, and creative manipulation techniques can be very tastefully applied to spy thrillers, but as [it] progresses, Powell's composition becomes more metallically distorted and obnoxious in tone. Late cues feature passages that sound as though he's recorded the banging of metal garbage cans and the scraping of metal rulers on a blackboard and integrated them as rhythmic highlights in his music. While this may be interesting at the very least for the first half hour of the score on album, it becomes increasingly intolerable as the presentation continues." [4] Andrew Grenade of Soundtrack.Net wrote "There are many good ideas but there is little development beyond repetition until your ears bleed." [5]

However, Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "John Powell’s pulsating score all ease us comfortably into that shadowy movie world of assassins and spies." [6] Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine described it a "techno-symphonic score". [7] Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote "Techno-slanted score by John Powell is tremendously propulsive". [8] John Hazelton of Screen International wrote "Composer John Powell contributes greatly to the edgy feel with a music score that stays out of the way of the dramatic moments but pumps up the action with techno-flavoured rock." [9] Ranking the soundtrack moments from the first three films, Sean Wilson of Den of Geek listed Powell's themes—"Treadstone Assassins", "Bourne on Land", "Escape from Embassy" and "The Apartment"—complimenting his dramatic and propulsive ability. [10]

Tumescent edition

The Bourne Identity: Tumescent Edition is the soundtrack that accompanied 31 tracks including alternates and unused cues. It was released by Varèse Sarabande on May 20, 2022, to coincide the 20th anniversary of the first film. [11]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Bourne Identity Main Titles"4:23
2."The Bourne Identity Original Opening"4:25
3."Bourne at Sea"1:25
4."Bourne on Land"1:45
5."Bourne on Land" (With Bassoon)1:41
6."Bourne on Land" (Alternate Version)1:55
7."Cafeteria"1:21
8."At the Bank"4:10
9."Escape from Embassy / Parking Garag"5:09
10."Activation"2:16
11."Marie on Monitor"2:01
12."Marie Drives / Bourne Sleeps"2:14
13."Marie Drives / Bourne Sleeps" (Alternate Version)2:01
14."JMK Is Dead"1:48
15."Assassin Fight / Bourne Almost Leaves"4:30
16."Wombosi at Morgue"1:50
17."Love Scene"1:33
18."Love Scene" (Alternate Version)1:38
19."Hotel Regina"2:17
20."The Investigation"1:44
21."The Investigation" (Alternate Version)1:30
22."Wombosi Dead"2:30
23."Taxi / Pins"3:48
24."Conklin and Abbot Argue"1:00
25."Bourne Watches Kids Sleep"1:33
26."Bourne Watches Kids Sleep" (Alternate Version)1:54
27."Get in the Basement"2:58
28."Bourne Phones"3:08
29."Pont Neuf"3:46
30."Conklin Killed"1:34
31."Got Any ID?"1:32
Total length:75:19

Legacy

With the Bourne Identity, Powell continued his collaboration with Liman on Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Jumper (2008), Fair Game (2010) and again reunited for Locked Down (2021). [12] He would also work on the future instalments of the Jason Bourne franchise, except for The Bourne Legacy (2012) which was composed by James Newton Howard. [12] [13] Powell recalled that his music for The Bourne Identity has temped by numerous composers for spy action films, which disappointed him, adding "That’s why film music is getting terribly uninteresting. It’s a snake sucking its own cock." [2]

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes: [14]

Orchestra
Instruments

References

  1. 1 2 3 Wilson, Sean (July 5, 2017). "John Powell interview: scoring Bourne, Hans Zimmer, Face/Off and more". Den of Geek . Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Freer, Ian (April 15, 2014). "Empire Meets John Powell". Empire . Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  3. Walker, Tim (May 31, 2014). "John Powell interview: 'I sold myself to the Devil, just a bit'". The Independent . Archived from the original on June 1, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  4. Clemmensen, Christian (July 6, 2002). "The Bourne Identity (John Powell)". Filmtracks . Archived from the original on March 25, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  5. Grenade, Andrew (August 24, 2003). "Review: The Bourne Identity". Soundtrack.Net . Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  6. Honeycutt, Kirk (June 14, 2017). "'The Bourne Identity': THR's 2002 Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  7. Gonzalez, Ed (June 10, 2002). "Review: The Bourne Identity". Slant Magazine . Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  8. McCarthy, Todd (June 7, 2002). "The Bourne Identity". Variety . Archived from the original on November 25, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  9. Hazelton, John (July 15, 2002). "The Bourne Identity". Screen International . Archived from the original on August 1, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  10. Wilson, Sean (July 20, 2016). "19 electrifying soundtrack moments from the Bourne trilogy". Den of Geek . Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  11. "The Bourne Identity (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack / 20th Anniversary Tumescent Edition)". Apple Music . May 20, 2022. Archived from the original on August 22, 2025. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  12. 1 2 Burlingame, Jon (April 23, 2014). "Billion Dollar Composer: John Powell Ranges From Action to Animation". Variety . Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  13. "James Newton Howard to Score 'The Bourne Legacy'". Film Music Reporter. November 14, 2011. Archived from the original on December 19, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  14. John Powell. The Bourne Identity (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Media notes). Varèse Sarabande.