Unknown Review

Unkown

Put simply, a proper mystery movie should confuse then satisfy. Introduce you to a slew of bewilderment shrouded in questions and slowly reveal the secret answers. It is a thrill to be left in the dark only to be shown the light. The new action thriller, Unknown, is a mystery at the core and delivers the confusion and satisfaction in ample heaps. The film is filled with confounding plot twists to the point that it exceeds the standard “whodunit” mold and creates its own construct that could be referred to as a “whodunwhat and why”.

We meet Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) as his plane lands in beautiful Berlin where he is to attend an important Biotech summit. The assignment has gotten him on edge and his wife, Elizabeth (January Jones), seems concerned as Martin nervously goes through his agenda on the way to the hotel. Once they arrive, Martin realizes that he has left his important briefcase curbside at the airport and hectically heads back to retrieve it without telling his wife the plan.  As taxi darts through traffic a violent accident occurs sending the vehicle into an ice-cold river. Our poor doctor is knocked unconscious but the heroic cabdriver (Diane Kruger) smashes the rear window and rescues him, leaving him along the bank of the river as she flees the scene.

Four days later Martin awakes in the hospital and things are more than fuzzy as he tries to recall what happened. To complicate matters he has no passport (that’s in the curbside briefcase) and is without a phone or wallet. Slowly the fragmented events around the accident take shape through color-drenched flashbacks and Dr. Harris is able to remember the hotel where he was to be staying. Once he arrives there he locates his wife and, while expecting a warm reunion, finds that she doesn’t seem to recognize him. Worse than that, there is now a new Dr. Martin Harris (Aidan Quinn) and quickly the Original Martin Harris begins to question his sanity. Lost and frightened, Martin wanders the streets of Berlin and begins to think that he is being followed. As people begin to die around him the reality of danger becomes clear and Martin must solve the mystery of his true identity.

Unknown is in the vain of Neeson’s surprise 2008 hit Taken and cements him as a master of Oldman Fisticuffs. What this film does that is a nice departure is treats him as a rather standard “Everyman” that must fight his way out of deadly situations. There is an amazing scene that takes place in a hospital that is incredibly tense and genuinely gut wrenching.  The realistic tone is kept throughout for the most part and only deviates, for some reason, when the action takes place in a moving vehicle. The car chases are supercharged and overblown. While still entertaining, the shift in storytelling is distracting and uneven.

The supporting cast is fine with a shining highlight being the performance of a Mr. Bruno Ganz. The veteran German actor steals and chews on every scene he is in. January Jones is a bit stiff but serves purpose while Diane Kruger deals a solid turn as the immigrant taxi driver that comes to Neeson’s aide. Much of Unknown deals with identity and what defines us. Imagine knowing who you are while the rest of the world tells you otherwise. The fun of this movie is in finding out who Dr. Martin Harris really is and while the answer might surprise you, it will undoubtedly satisfy.