“The Bourne Identity’s” list of attributes includes a terrific chase through the back streets of Paris. Of course, even the most harrowing chases are nothing new in the annals of espionage movies. But here the hero does something possibly never before seen on screen: He consults a map.

That small moment sums up the appeal of director Doug Liman’s invigorating thriller. Cliches get a fresh spin: Even when one foot puts the pedal to the medal, the other foot remains rooted in reality.

Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne is never intended as another James Bond. Not only is he uncomfortable in his own skin, he’d also be uncomfortable in anyone’s skin. He’s first seen fished out of the Mediterranean and suffering from amnesia. Embedded in his back are two bullets and a capsule encoded with a Swiss bank account number.

A Zurich safety box contains rich sums of money, a gun and several passports, one issued to Jason Bourne. He also discovers, entirely through first-hand experience, that he’s bilingual and an expert in boxing and martial arts. At this point in his confused life, Bourne would prefer a serene existence. But it seems that this amnesiac is a CIA assassin, and now several parties, including the CIA, want him dead.

Bourne hitches a ride from Zurich, Switzerland, to Paris with Marie (Franka Potente), a restless spirit ripe for adventure. Their inevitable romance also is handled with a hint of realism, with both Jason and Marie weighing all options before embracing each other.

The story of an amnesiac with much to learn about himself might seem like a post-“Memento” gimmick, but the film is based, however loosely, on a popular Robert Ludlum novel. According to some reports, “The Bourne Identity” had a choppy shooting schedule, with an abundance of re-writes. Yet the finished movie has a sense of unity rare in espionage thrillers.