collipal-1

21 May 2012

Interesting but nothing extraordinary

At first sight, Unknown might look like an extra-official sequel ofTaken, the popular action film in which Liam Neeson interpreted an ex-secret agent in a desperate search of his daughter. However, it is notlike that; Unknown has some action scenes but its atmosphere andelliptical screenplay make it more similar to Hitchockian thrillerssuch as Breakdown, Arlington Road or Memento. I am making thatcomparison regarding style and subject...but not quality.The "man without a memory" is a familiar concept in suspense cinema andliterature; Unknown combines that formula with the other old classic of"mistaken identity" in order to create an interesting and well raisedmystery, with a competent but occasionally a bit absurd execution. Onthe technical aspect, director Jaume Collet-Serra orchestrates thefights, car chases and moments of tense calm well. However, even thoughI did not dislike the screenplay, I have to say that I felt it a bitgeneric, with pre-fabricated scenes we have seen in better thrillers.Sure, its ending is more or less ingenious, but besides of that, thereis not too much originality in this film.Neeson brings a competent performance as the intelligent but confusedmain character; Diane Kruger is adequate as his sidekick; the greatBruno Ganz shows a good level of passion and intensity as detectiveJürgen; and January Jones is the only weak spot from the cast, becauseshe brings an excessively forced performance.In conclusion, Unknown is an entertaining, well directed and (with thepreviously mentioned exception) well acted thriller which kept meinterested despite some moments which feel a bit slow; but its lack oforiginality and abundance of clichés extract identity to it, somethingwhich does not make it highly memorable. In conclusion, Unknown is amovie which will not make you feel like wasting your time, but which isnot indispensable to invest your time on it either.

Hit

21 May 2012

Liam Neeson kicks major butt!

Second best Liam Neeson action flick!... second to TAKEN that is. Love the twist, love the action, love the story! Dont believe critic reviews. Most of them are gay so you can't really expect them to appreciate a good action film.

Andrew

21 May 2012

What's with the shower scene memory?

The bored identity was a good suggestion for a better name. It wasn't until after the final twist that I realized it was just a copy of the first Borne movie. The bad guys had at least 5 good opportunities to kill him earlier than the lame garage scene and if his memories were all just part of his cover, than why did he keep remembering being in the shower with his fake assissin wife? Don't get me wrong, that shower scene kept people from getting up and leaving, but it made no sense. Finally, how many 100 pound female taxi cab drivers can break out a rear window of car with a tire iron as the car sinks in a river and convenently the cab didn't sink any faster. Taken was much better.

Ed Whitfield

20 May 2012

In a bloodless scene between two old men, there's more pathos and tension... than in any of the hyper-kinetic fight scenes or car chases that pad out the rest of the running time.

17 May 2012

Enjoyable popcorn thriller has Hitchcockian twists and turns like "No Way Out"

This much IS known; Liam Neeson gives a terrific performance as confused biotechnology scientist Martin Harris who finds that someone has taken over his life when he is attending the Berlin biotechnology summit and not even his wife knows him. Based on a German bestseller "Unknown" is a clever thriller in the mold of something Hitchcock might have done in his prime. The Blu-ray looks extremely good with a nice, sharp transfer. The cool color scheme of the theatrical version of the film is kept intact for this version. The lossless audio sounds terrific as well and is very active.How much you enjoy "Unknown" is related to how much you can suspend your disbelief.The only special features on this edition are two featurettes one of the making of the film that examines the premise and another on actor Liam Neeson who lately has become something of an action hero with this film and "Taken". The deluxe edition also features a DVD edition of the movie. It's a pity there are no deleted scenes and no commentary track as it would have been interesting to see what didn't fit into the movie and hear what it took to adapt a convoluted thriller like this into a sleek, stylish audience friendly thriller.While it does share some elements of films like The Bourne Trilogy (The Bourne Identity / The Bourne Supremacy / The Bourne Ultimatum) (Slim Packaging) [Blu-ray] in terms of having twists and turns in its plot that are somewhat unexpected, it is a very different thriller having more in common with Shatteredor No Way Out."Unknown" is an enjoyable popcorn thriller.

TxMike

17 May 2012

A better than average thriller, Neeson is ideal for the role.

While this is a totally different story, one has to be reminded ofNeeson's role in "Taken" where he has to solve a mystery as difficultas this one.Liam Neeson is Dr. Martin Harris traveling with his wife to Berlin toparticipate in a scientific conference. As they arrive it is cold andsnowing at the Berlin airport and he rushes into the cab leaving thedriver to load their luggage. We notice that the briefcase is left inthe luggage carrier, and Martin only notices it when they get to thehotel.So, knowing this is a movie of mystery and intrigue, it is natural towonder, "Did the driver leave the briefcase behind for a reason?" Then,when Martin catches the first taxi back to locate his briefcase, and atraffic accident sends him into the river, we wonder, "Is that cabdriver in on a plot against him?" And this goes on throughout themovie, trying to figure out what is going on. Because, when he finallygets back to the hotel 4 days later, no one knows him. His wifeincluded, who is with a different Dr Harris. Neeson's character is now"Unknown."This is a well-crafted movie and while it may have a few holes in theplot, overall is very entertaining. Diane Kruger is Gina, who happenedto be driving the cab when it went into the river. She is a Bosnianrefuge working extra jobs to save money to better her lot in life.January Jones is Martin's wife, Elizabeth Harris, who seems to not knowher husband, while she claims that Aidan Quinn is the real Dr Harris.Other key roles are Bruno Ganz as investigator Ernst Jürgen and FrankLangella as the mysterious Rodney Cole.(As a side comment, Neeson at almost 60 is 25 to 30 years older thanKruger and Jones, but that doesn't make much difference in the movies!)SPOILER: When Martin wakes up in the hospital 4 days later, after asevere concussion and near death, he doesn't remember everything. Thisis key to the story because he really believes he is the scientist, DrHarris. In fact he has no permanent identity, he is a professionalassassin with multiple identities and multiple passports. Elizabeth isnot his wife, they are part of a team to kill a scientist who hasdiscovered a new corn hybrid that grows fast, is insect and droughtresistant, and he plans to give this freely to the world, which willcut into certain company profits. When he goes missing the substitute"Martin" is pressed into service. In a complex series of happenings,everyone but Neeson's and Kruger's characters die, the scientist isspared, and the surviving couple get to go off together and start newlives.

DarkVulcan29

14 May 2012

Solid thriller

Dr. Martin Harris(Liam Neeson)and his beautiful wife Elizabeth(MadMens, January Jones) are flying to Berlin for a conference. When theyget to the hotel, Martin realizes that he forgot a suitcase from theairport, so when he takes a cab back to the airport, he quickly getsinto a car accident. Martin wakes up in the hospital, and discovershe's been in coma for four days, and remembers very little abouthimself. When he gets out of the hospital, and gets back to the hotel,to see his wife, she doesn't seem to know who he is, and anotherman(Aiden Quinn) takes his place. So is Martin going nuts, or is therea conspiracy going on here? A very solid thriller, that is intense has it goes on, keeps buildingto an awesome climax. Performances by Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger,January Jones and Aiden Quinn don't disappoint. If you are looking fora thriller that tops Taken(2008) a little, then give Unknown a look.

James Berardinelli

14 May 2012

The material keeps our attention but, as we get closer to the inevitable point at which the curtain is pulled back, the movie starts to feel more like a parody than a serious endeavor.

Simon

13 May 2012

A thriller that stays mostly on the run...

This film was supposed to be the hit that outsmarted "Taken". Unfortunately, despite the interesting plot and fine script, it cant beat the direction and Neeson's vigilante styled performance in "Taken". Still although, this movie delivered in both a thriller that left you unknown untill the climax and a worthy film that proves Neeson's still got the moves. If you liked "Taken", "The Bourne Identity", and other movies like them you should defenitely check this one out but dont expect a better film than the rest. All that'll leave you satisfied will be the thrillimg suspense of Dr. Martin Harris's true identity...

Leigh Morgan

12 May 2012

A little predictable, but it's Liam AND Aidan

Liam Neeson and Aidan Quinn are outstanding and having them together is movie gold. The other actors, even the secondary ones, are outstanding as well. I figured out the plot pretty quickly, but I'm a Ludlum fan so it wasn't that much of a stretch. January Jone's was flat and un-engaging, but that may have been less Ms.Jones and more poor scripting. Diane Kruger, and her character, sparkled. Okay, 'sparkled' may be a bit much, this wasn't a teen-angst vampire flick, but her performance was damn good. Really liked this movie and hope Mr. Neeson and Mr. Quinn work together again soon.

08 May 2012

Gripping and Neeson is awesome

While on a business trip in Berlin with his wife Elizabeth (January Jones), Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) gets into a bad car accident. Martin wakes up in a hospital and is told he was in a four day coma and suffering memory loss. All he can remember is that his wife was in Berlin with him before the car accident and that she must be worried. After awhile he remembers what motel they were staying at and rushes to find her. When he catches up with Elizabeth, she claims she has no idea who he is. In fact she is with a man who claims he is the real Dr. Harris. Martin now has to convince the authorities and himself that he's not crazy and that he is the real Martin Harris. Ernst Jurgen, a retired German spy (Bruno Ganz) and Gina (Diane Kruger), a taxi driver who's in Berlin illegally are the only people who seem to believe him. This puts them in danger when men wielding guns are after Martin. Unknown is excitingly fast paced and puts the viewers on the edge of their seat. While Liam Neeson is as good as Mel Gibson (Edge of Darkness) at playing a part where he's not only looking for answers, but revenge as well. Kind of like in Darkman, Taken and even the A-Team lol. All in all, Unknown is a fun mind bending thriller that is worth checking out.

07 May 2012

no movie in case

This review is from: Unknown [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) Ordered from amazon. package arrived as usual with shrink wrap intact. no discs inside. unbelievable. No movies and a crinkled up digital copy page inside.

05 May 2012

Snore a thon

This review is from: Unknown (DVD) Movie has a great plot but no pay off weak ending but some very good acting just left me wanting more sorry

05 May 2012

A really good movie.

This review is from: Unknown [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) There is a tendency for people to compare this movie to taken, as Liam Neeson's characters have similarities, but this movie is more complex and is surrounded by more mystery and intrigue, and a bit less action. Liam Neeson does his usual excellent job, as does Frank Langella, but I have to give real kudos to Swiss-born Bruno Ganz, who plays his character to perfection. Just when you think you know how it will turn out. The blue ray disc reproduces this movie well and I found no problems with it.

hjjanssen1973

05 May 2012

Amazing script !?

Quite an amazing script this one... The movie starts intriguing, butwhile the movies moves on, the script becomes more and moreunbelievable. In the end it is about a corn formula that will save theworld from starvation. And this is of course bad for the bad guys. Sothe professor who invented it has to die. He keeps his formula only onhis laptop, so this laptop needs to be destroyed... a world savingformula is stored only on a laptop, and not on a server or in thecloud, amazing, isn't it? But there are some nice special effects, andthe cast is quite good, but in fact the acting is pretty bad(especially Neeson). Only the German professor (yes, the same one as inZwartboek) was acting naturally, but he did not get that many lines.Sorry, but this movie was a disappointment for me. If the script is notbelievable, the movie falls apart in my view.

David Roark

04 May 2012

The film doesn't make you feel or care. It doesn't grab you. In other words, it has all the elements of a good thriller except for, well, thrills.

04 May 2012

Revamped Totall Recall

This review is from: Unknown (Amazon Instant Video) Liam Neesen plays a guy who is injured in an accident and finds, when he wakes from a 4 day coma, that someone else has taken over his life. Are there no original ideas anymore? I kept thinking of Total Recall while I was watching this film. Whil I like Liam and have nothing against him, aren't there any younger actors who could have played this character? The guy was supposedly born in 1964 (as seen in his passport in the movie). Liam is just a little too seasoned at nearly 60, to be playing this guy.

nick.johnson

04 May 2012

Started out strong, then fell apart with plot holes

You probably know the setup already if you're reading this. I found thestory intriguing and engaging for about half-way through, but then theplot holes just got bigger and bigger until by the end I almost didn'tcare what happened anymore. The weakest point: after it was explainedto us what was really going on, I thought Neeson's character'smotivation to do what he did was pretty far-fetched.As for the action, is anyone else getting sick of the way fight scenesare shot nowadays? It's just one fraction-of-a-second cut on top ofanother: a close-up shot of someone swinging, a close-up of someoneducking, someone crashing through something, jumping off something,blah blah blah. This disconnected, quick-cut, patch-it-together-in-the-editing style looks like a sloppy way to avoid actually choreographinga fight scene, and it seems to be in almost every action movie anymore.It's even worse on the big screen. I find it nauseating and tiresome.

William Ritchie

02 May 2012

a hitchcock action movie, finally a good movie

This movie is a lot better than anything i have seen in about a year as far as suspense and acting and action go,very professional. Giving it and A because most of the new releases are a load of over hyped t.v. crap.

Christopher Tookey

02 May 2012

Collet-Serra generates plenty of suspense and keeps the action flowing. There is even, of all things, an imaginative car chase.