From James Bond and Ethan Hunt to Indiana Jones and Sherlock Holmes, men of action seem to capture the imagination of the public, and many follow in their path to retrace the footsteps of these fictional heroes. Yet no other all-action hero has been more popular in recent years than Jason Bourne, played by actor Matt Damon in the Bourne Identity series of movies.
With the fourth movie in the series, The Bourne Legacy, scheduled for release shortly, here is a look at some of the real life destinations that Jason Bourne visited in the course of the movies, places where you too can visit on your holiday and feel a bit of the excitement and energy.
Goa, India
Beloved of hippies, new age travellers, those looking for a spiritual awakening and gap year travellers, Goa was also the unlikely home for trained assassin with a conscience Jason Bourne. At the beginning of the second movie in the series Bourne is shown living an idyllic, peaceful life in tropical beach paradise Goa alongside his ravishing girlfriend and partner in crime Marie. Unfortunately their peace is broken by the arrival of a Russian spy who has been sent to kill them. Fleeing in peril, Bourne manages to escape but, in a heart-breaking twist, his girlfriend is struck down and killed. And so begins Bourne's ruthless quest for revenge, justice and the truth.
Zurich, Switzerland
This genteel and salubrious city in Switzerland is also the place where movie-goers first get a glimpse of Jason Bourne's hidden abilities. After being confronted by guards in banks and consulates, Bourne fights his way out of impossible situations with a skill, strength and dangerous poise to put others to shame. James Bond, let's face it, would get his arse kicked by this guy. After escaping from the clutches of authority, Bourne then heads to Paris, and so his adventure tours of Europe and the wider world, with excitement, danger, death and despair meeting him on every step of his terrifying and thrilling journey.
Berlin, Germany
The global centre of espionage throughout the 20th century, it is only logical that Bourne would visit Berlin at some point in his travels. And during the 2nd movie, the Bourne Supremacy, Jason retraces his steps to find out what happened in an anonymous Berlin hotel room a number of years ago. He skips through the crowds in Alexanderplatz, rides the city's esteemed trams and races over railway lines in his pursuit of the truth. Yet the discovery of the truth, as usual in these films, is less about achieving closure, and more about the beginning of a process of guilt, shame and remorse.
Tangier, Morocco
One of the single most exciting adventures in the Bourne series of films is the thrilling chase through the back streets and rooftops of Tangier, Morocco. The chase, involving Julia Stiles' character Nicky Parsons, involves a range of stunts, choreographed fights, and chaotic pursuits through the city's ancient townscape, through old riads and casbahs, and across the flat rooftops, culminating in a brutal, hand to hand fight scene that some say is the best ever filmed
Waterloo Station, London
As an international man of mystery Jason Bourne pops up in all sorts of far-flung and glamorous destinations, but one of the most dramatic scenes in the entire series takes place in good old Blighty. Bourne meets a journalist contact right in the middle of Waterloo Station in order to obtain information about Blackbriar, the CIA's secret network of brainwashed assassins. Knowing their lives are in danger, Bourne tells the journalist to remain in a hidden location but, scared and confused, the journalist makes a run for it through the crowded station. The mistake proves to be fatal, though Bourne himself, using all of his experience and dexterity, manages to escape alive and with the information he needed. So you don't have to travel half way across the globe for a bit of adventure and excitement.
About Today's Contributor:
John is a travel writer with an immense passion for adventure tours in some of the most inhospitable regions of the planet.