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Jason's phone call to the Regina Hotel **spoilers**


There is a scene in Jason's Paris apartment that demonstrates the most skillful and effective film editing I've ever seen.

Blindly using the desk phone's redial function to discover what he can about his life prior to 2 weeks ago, Jason phones the Hotel Regina and inquires about John Michael Kane (which is one of his aliases). The lady who answers transfers Jason's call to a man who informs Jason that "monsieur Kane has passed away almost two weeks ago". As they continue their conversation, the viewer can almost see the wheels turning in Jason's head: Since Jason Bourne and John Michael Kane are the same person (him), and since 2 weeks ago Jason Bourne was floating in the Mediterranean with 2 bullets in his back, then whoever told the hotel that Kane was dead knew in advance, 1, what Jason was doing (of which Jason himself is ignorant due to his amnesia), but even more to the point, 2: That Jason Bourne and John Michael Kane are the same person (that is, because Jason Bourne had disappeared, then John Michael Kane must also disappear, at least as far as the hotel account is concerned).

As Jason listens to the hotel man relate the details of Kane's death and how Kane's "brother" stopped at the hotel to pick up the dead man's possessions, the camera continually circles Jason in a series of overlapping jump cuts, moving ever closer and periodically jumping to motion views of various doorways with windows in the background on far walls of adjacent rooms, which imply, looking through Jason's eyes, that he's aware of what's around him, and needs to be aware of what's around him, and needs to be ready for whatever is around him or may appear.

The camera motions, jump cuts, and increasingly ominous semi-musical notes produce a potent sense of tension & expectancy that builds as he hangs up, then searches the apartment as he casually responds to Marie's queries about hot water, as he picks up the knife in the kitchen, and as he casually drops the knife when Marie appears. It climaxes when Castel comes crashing through the balcony French doors with Kalashnikov blazing.

I admire that sequence sooooooo... much. The craft exhibited in that sequence is stunning.
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