Fails the Bechdel test

The Bourne Identity

Name: The Bourne Identity
Released: 2002

2002. Directed by Doug Liman, written by Tony Gilroy and William Blake Herron and Robert Ludlum.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

0 / 3

Fails

No 1. At least two women
Fewer than two women characters.
No 2. Who talk to each other
Our parser found no scene where two women talk to each other.
No 3. About something besides a man
Not reached: the film fails an earlier rule.

Second opinion

Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 1 out of 3.

The film

When a body is recovered at sea still alive, the mystery man (Damon) seems to have forgotten everything in life, including who he was. Eventually he begins to remember smaller details in life and soon finds out that his name was Jason Bourne. What he doesn't like is the gun and fake passports belonging to him. Now Bourne, and his new friend, Marie Helena Kreutz (Potente) travel from country to country in search of his new identity. But someone is not happy to see him alive, and is frantically trying to track him down.

Released: 14 Jun 2002
Genres: Action, Mystery, Thriller
Rated: PG-13
IMDb: 7.8 / 10
Metascore: 68 / 100
Awards: 3 wins & 6 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

Women
Men
Not in the cast list
Bigger name, more lines

Bourne 187 lines, man
Marie 124 lines, woman
Conklin 56 lines, man
Abbott 28 lines, man
Wombosi 22 lines, man
The Man 18 lines, man
Giancarlo 12 lines, man
Zorn 12 lines, man
Clerk 11 lines, man
Morgue Boss 10 lines, man

Full cast, 51 people

Matt Damon as Jason Bourne
Franka Potente as Marie Helena Kreutz
Chris Cooper as Alexander Conklin
Clive Owen as The Professor
Brian Cox as Ward Abbott
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Nykwana Wombosi
Gabriel Mann as Danny Zorn
Julia Stiles as Nicky Parsons
Walton Goggins as Research Tech
Josh Hamilton as Research Tech
Orso Maria Guerrini as Giancarlo
Tim Dutton as Eamon
Denis Braccini as Picot
Nicky Naudé as Castel
David Selburg as Marshall
Demetri Goritsas as Com Tech
Russell Levy as Manheim
Anthony Green as Security Chief
Hubert Saint-Macary as Morgue Boss
David Bamber as Consulate Clerk
Gwenaël Clause as Deauvage
Emanuel Booz as Taxi Driver
Philippe Durand as Morgue Attendant
Vincent Franklin as Rawlins
Paulette Frantz as Concierge
Thierry René as Wombosi Counselor
Roger Frost as Apfel
David Gasman as Deputy DCM
Harry Gilbert as Alain
Delphine Lanson as Alliance Secretary
William Cagnard as Davies
Kait Tenison as Bank Receptionist
Joseph Beddelin as Zurich Cop
Rainer Werner as Zurich Cop
Katie Thynne as Claudia
Aaron Lilly as Marine
Ronald Benefield as Marine
Bradley J. Goode as Marine
Troy Lenhardt as Marine
Joshua McNew as Marine
Joe Montana as Marine
John Pawlikowski as Marine
Michael Rix as Marine
Brad Rizer as Marine
Andrew Webster as Marine
Houston Williams as Marine
Alain Grellier as Salvi
Arnaud Henriet as Wombosi Bodyguard
Jean-Yves Bilien as Wombosi Bodyguard
Danny Erskine as Wombosi Bodyguard
Elwin 'Chopper' David as Wombosi Bodyguard

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 4 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 7% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 159

Hover, tap or tab to a bar to see those scenes: where they happen and who's talking.

Show the numbers

Scenes	Women's lines	Men's lines
1 to 4	0	3
5 to 8	0	18
9 to 12	0	2
13 to 16	0	3
17 to 20	0	4
21 to 24	0	14
25 to 28	3	11
29 to 32	0	6
33 to 36	6	9
37 to 40	5	12
41 to 44	0	6
45 to 48	0	0
49 to 52	0	1
53 to 56	0	2
57 to 60	8	21
61 to 64	0	0
65 to 68	9	9
69 to 72	9	12
73 to 76	11	22
77 to 80	5	4
81 to 84	14	27
85 to 88	29	58
89 to 92	4	12
93 to 96	0	3
97 to 100	3	3
101 to 104	0	11
105 to 108	1	18
109 to 112	6	25
113 to 116	0	2
117 to 120	0	10
121 to 124	0	20
125 to 128	2	11
129 to 132	9	19
133 to 136	2	1
137 to 140	0	0
141 to 144	2	2
145 to 148	6	14
149 to 152	3	5
153 to 156	0	21
157 to 159	4	7

The evidence

Straight from the script
Counted from the script and the credits

Tap an exhibit to open it.

Exhibit A: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 25 are women's.

141 lines from women, 428 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit B: who's in it

4 women and 30 men in the cast. 5 women and 26 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 66 of 609. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 65 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 21% of the words (1,411), men 79% (5,186). Women have 25% of the lines, so their lines run shorter than men's.

Exhibit D: the test the other way

Two named men talk to each other about something besides a woman. It passes the reverse test.

Conversations between two named characters

Two women

Two men

Exhibit E: behind the camera

1 of the 14 people in these jobs is a woman. Across the whole crew, 20% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Doug Liman (man)
Written by: Tony Gilroy (man), William Blake Herron (man)
From the novel by: Robert Ludlum (man)
Produced by: Richard N. Gladstein (man), Doug Liman (man), Patrick Crowley (man)
Shot by: Oliver Wood (man)
Edited by: Saar Klein (man)
Music by: John Powell (man)
Production design by: Dan Weil (man)
Costumes by: Pierre-Yves Gayraud (man)
Cast by: Joseph Middleton (man), Nancy Bishop (woman)