I almost never watch a movie until 10-15 years after it comes out in theaters. Just strange that way.
Bourne Identity: Good flick. I liked it better than the first M:I, which was obviously of similar styles. Damon was good in he role and it didn't rely on over the top action. When it did have action sequences (great car chase) they were well done, believable and easy to follow; no stupidly fast editing. Unfortunately, the premise was a big part of the reason it worked, and now that he knows who he is I don't imagine the sequels being of much interest to me.
Horatio Hornblower, R.N.: Gregory Peck as the world's greatest sea captain. As some know I'm a huge Peck fan and this was yet another perfect role for him. Despite being completely unsure of himself he serves as a perfect blend of tactician, loyal officer of the British Navy, guardian of his crew, and gentleman, excelling at all of them. You can easily see how Roddenberry patterned his two ship captains after him.
The Outlaw Josey Wales: Despite loving Westerns I'd never seen it. Damn good work. Not as polished as Unforgiven, but more entertaining to watch, IMO. Clint's pretty samey as an actor in these sorts of roles, but he's a damn good director.
The Conversation: Gene Hackman and the mighty John Cazale. I can see why it won the big one. A master wire-tapper records a discussion that will likely precede a murder and is tormented about what is now a massive conflict of ethics that continues to grind him down until he finally breaks. A psychological thriller a la Hitchcock but set in a modern, technological era. John Cazalle only starred in five movies before cancer ended his career. All five of those were nominated for best picture, and four won. Single best resume in all of Hollywood.
The Anderson Tapes: Continuing the theme of surveillance vs voyeurism. Sean Connery as a master cat burglar who's surveilled by five different LEAs, unbeknownst to him or any of the other agencies. Once the whole thing turns into a bloodbath all of the agencies have to destroy all of their evidence because he was only a tangent in their various operations, and the outcome would be criminal, negligent, embarrassing or all of the above to each group of feds. Great premise and pretty well executed.
The Bravados: Again with Gregory Peck, but this time with the smoking hot Joan Collins. Peck plays a good, decent man who sets out to hunt down the 5 people who raped and murdered his wife after they escape the hangman. He takes satisfaction in executing each of them, only to find out that they actually didn't have anything to do with the trouble back home. They were nevertheless ruthless killers who were going to hang anyway, killed their way out of town and buggered one of the local girls they had taken hostage. Thus presenting something of an ethical dilemma for the man from the satisfaction gained by administering justice that he had no personal stake in.
This was the last two weeks or so. I believe The French Connection is up next. Surprisingly never seen it, and I'm a huge fan of good car chases.