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Unknown
Unknown (2011 movie)

A movie directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.

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If I'm Not Me, Who Am I?

  • Feb 19, 2011
Rating:
+4
Star Rating:


Unknown is an utterly preposterous film, but if you grant its assumptions, it will keep you engaged and take you on a thrilling ride. It stars Liam Neeson as Dr. Martin Harris, who travels to Berlin with his wife, Liz (January Jones), to speak at a biotechnology conference and meet a botanist who has made an important breakthrough. A cab ride back to the airport goes wrong; a truck loses its shipment, causing the cab to swerve off the road, zoom over a bridge, and plunge into a river. Harris wakes up in the hospital four days later, and although his memory is fractured, he remembers that he’s in Berlin with his wife and that he’s supposed to speak at a conference. Against his doctor’s advice, he returns to his hotel and finds Liz – who suddenly doesn’t recognize him. Worse still, another man (Aiden Quinn) has assumed his identity.
 
It’s not merely a matter of posing as Liz’s husband. This other man, whoever he is, has personal photographs, identification, and his picture on Harris’ internet profile page. He even knows intimate details about the personal life of the botanist, Dr. Bressler (Sebastian Koch); an amusing scene has both men, in perfect unison, rattling off facts and figures about Bressler and their own lives. Is it possible Harris isn’t who he thinks he is? If not, then why are mysterious men trying to kill him? As Harris tries to make sense of the situation, he meets Gina (Diane Kruger), an illegal Bosnian who drove the cab he nearly drowned in. He also seeks out Ernst Jürgen (Bruno Ganz), a former Stasi agent known for getting to the bottom of things.

                                             
                                             
Everything hinges on the plot twist, which involves a sequence of numbers, a Middle Eastern prince, and Harris’ colleague, Professor Rodney Cole (Frank Langella). The ads have eluded to it so well that, when seeing the finished film, I almost wished I could skip everything building up to it and just know what was going on. I’ve been critical of plot twists for two reasons: Either they’re structured so intricately that they seem mechanical and forced, or they’re so monumentally ridiculous that they suggest a lack of faith in an audience’s intelligence. Unknown is written in such a way that the twist is not only appropriate, but also surprising – a rare combination. It’s not a matter of believability; if it were, there would no reason to see the film at all. It’s simply a matter of going with the flow, of allowing yourself to take the story for what it is. If we can freely suspend disbelief for films like Salt, why can’t we for this?
 
Comparisons have been made to another Liam Neeson film, 2009’s Taken. I have to admit, though, I’m not sure how fair they are. While both films are about extraordinary men embroiled in international intrigue, Unknown is slightly more stylized – nowhere near the level of James Bond or Jason Bourne, but definitely along the lines of a spy thriller. It’s precisely because of this that it’s a better film than Taken. It takes itself a little less seriously. Any film with a car chase that actually looks like the work of stunt drivers has to be taken with a grain of salt, especially when one of the cars flips upside down and lands in the path of speeding streetcar. It’s called building tension.

                                             
                                             
What surprised me about this film was that I was made to care about the characters. Harris is determined and ruthless, but he also earns our sympathy; we want to get to the truth just as badly as he does. When we do finally get to the truth, we actually want to stick with him, for he devises a new plan of action, one that inevitably becomes an exciting race against the clock. Gina is perhaps standard as the female sidekick, although the filmmakers wisely avoided involving her in a romantic subplot. This in turn allowed for a more developed character, and while she may not be relatable to everyone, she never once fails to hold our interest. The word “chemistry” is thrown around all too often in movie reviews, but the simple fact is that Kruger and Neeson are a natural fit in this film. So too are Neeson and Jones – although their characters share something entirely different.
 
The only real disappointment is Langella. He’s painfully underutilized, but more to the point, his character is so obvious that he might as well appear onscreen with a sign hanging around his neck. Worse still, his one good line of dialogue has unfortunately been wasted in the ads; if you have managed to avoid them, believe me when I say that you’re better off. What he says to Neeson should have been kept a secret, much like the truth behind Neeson’s character. I’m well aware that better action thrillers have been made, and if you want a recommendation, might I suggest Tony Scott’s Unstoppable? All the same, Unknown accomplished what it set out to accomplish, implausible premise and all. Sometimes, we as moviegoers can’t ask for anything more than that.

                                                   

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February 21, 2011
Excellent review.
February 23, 2011
Thank you.
 
February 20, 2011
Great review, Chris! I saw this one earlier and we can agree that while I thought that some elements were a bit too much, or in your words "utterly Preposterous", it did entertain and enagage me. Neeson is a great actor for sure. Nice review.
February 20, 2011
There are certain movies that you have to suspend disbelief for. This is one of them. As long as you can do that, you're home free.
February 20, 2011
agreed. This just kept on moving forward with a rich energy to it.
 
February 19, 2011
Great review. I like Neeson's acting style and I liked The Bourne Identity so this may be up my alley. Thanks.
February 19, 2011
This movie isn't as over the top as The Bourne Identity, but it's still an engaging and thrilling film. At least, I think it is -- the reviews for it haven't been stellar. 
 
1
More Unknown (2011 movie) reviews
review by . February 20, 2011
posted in Movie Hype
An
After the simple and yet engaging action-thriller, Liam Neeson returns to the genre with director Jaume Collet-Serra’s (Orphan) “Unknown”. The film is based on a French novel by Didier Van Cauweleat called “Out of My Head” and has been given the staples of a Hollywood actioner with the elements of a Hitchcock tale. It is relentless, entertaining, suspenseful despite the fact that it may have overplayed the aces in its hand. It also helps when you have Liam Neeson in …
review by . July 14, 2011
posted in MovieSucktastic
Unknown might be the most preposterous movie of a year that most films decided to stop suspending disbelief and let it rest on the floor for a while. Common sense is left to drown in a sea of movie cliches and utter lunacy while plot holes make a Swiss cheese out of the script.      **THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD! **      Ok, if you know the movie's main trick, namely that it's a rip-off of Total Recall, you'll know that the entire film …
review by . July 09, 2011
posted in Movie Hype
**1/2 out of ****     It doesn't take a person of extreme intelligence to realize that Liam Neeson is a registered ass-kicker. The 59-year-old actor has appeared in many very cool, and many very mediocre films; but he's almost always guaranteed to put on the best show of the entire product. "Unknown", his newest movie, is really nothing more-or-less different than the usual Neeson walk-about. The actor has a problem he must overcome. In the end, he ends up serving up sweet justice. …
Quick Tip by . July 28, 2011
posted in Movie Hype
Caption
Unfortunately, unlike his exhilarating revenge/rescue film Taken, this rather predictable and derivative action film starring Liam Neeson has little to offer in the way of originality or believability. The plot is outrageously silly and is very much reminiscent of The Fugitive and The Bourne Identity.      The story revolves around a man who comes to Germany with his wife to attend a scientific summit only to end up being involved in a car crash. When he comes to from a coma, …
review by . February 18, 2011
Two Jews On Film Review 'UNKNOWN'
What if you know deep down, who you really were, but couldn't prove it?  And what if someone else - someone you didn't know- claimed to be you and everyone believed him? That is the dilemma Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) faces in the film 'Unknown'.      Dr. Martin Harris, a botanist, arrives with his wife, Liz (January Jones) at the Hotel Adion in Berlin for a biotechnology summit.  When Martin realizes that his briefcase was left behind at the airport, …
see all Unknown (2011 movie) reviews (6)
About the reviewer
Chris Pandolfi ()
Ranked #7
Growing up a shy kid in a quiet suburb of Los Angeles, Chris Pandolfi knows all about the imagination. Pretend games were always the most fun for him, especially on the school playground; he and his … more
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About this movie

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Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that his wife, Liz (January Jones), suddenly doesn't recognize him and another man (Aidan Quinn) has assumed his identity. Ignored by disbelieving authorities and hunted by mysterious assassins, he finds himself alone, tired, and on the run. Aided by an unlikely ally, Gina (Diane Kruger), Martin plunges headlong into a deadly mystery that will force him to question his sanity, his identity, and just how far he is willing to go to uncover the truth. In the end it is revealed that Martin Harris is actually a part of an assassination team. He loses his memory and begins to believe his cover after getting hurt in the car crash. The impostor is actually his backup on the team.
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Movies, Movie, Adventure, In Theaters, 2011 Movies, Action Thriller, Liam Neeson, Frank Langella
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Details

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Release Date: 18 February 2011 (USA)
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 113 min
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