Movie Review: "Unknown"

   I am an ardent fan of the cinematic arts. Although I have certain genre preferences, I don’t let that stifle my curiosity and close myself to different flavors of entertainment. That said...I am a huge fan of science fiction, super hero and action movies! Please visit my other blog The Boxed Office for reviews, exclusively, on these types of movies.

The Cast: 

Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, and January Jones.

   Liam Neeson is excellent, once again, and delivers a superb performance of a man waking up from a crash into a world that doesn’t know him, even as he struggles to know himself. Diane Kruger doesn’t give a “break-out” performance, but she’s adequate as a woman that gets caught up in the middle of a dangerous mystery. January Jones doesn’t have much to do...and she’s pretty good at doing that.

The Plot: 

   Dr. Martin Harris (Neeson) is a biochemist newly arrived in Berlin with his wife for a conference, that must figure out who he really is...who everyone really is, after recovering from a car accident while trying to retrieve his lost briefcase. His wife doesn’t know who he is while her husband claims to be him. Nobody can be trusted and people are trying to kill him...and he doesn’t have any idea why.

   Gina (Diane Kruger) is the part-time cab driver that was driving the car just before the accident. Pulled into this web of mystery and murder, she is ultimately a loose end in a bigger plot and must commit herself to helping Harris find out who he really is to secure her own safety.

   As the pieces fall into place, it becomes clear that Harris is much more than he appears to be...and his situation is much more precarious than the slight case of amnesia everyone around him seems to be having.

   

The Verdict: 

   Unknown is a mystery with plenty of thrills and an adequate amount of action. The movie entices you to ask questions, and then raises even more when it attempts to answer.

   Liam Neeson carries this movie...as I expected, and being a huge fan, didn’t bother me at all. Almost every scene is dominated by him as we follow his wild chase to track down the truth of who he is and why nobody seems to know him...especially those closest to him. Once I was pulled into his world, it was easy for me to ignore much about the film that would normally detract from it.

   There isn’t much drama in this film, at least not anything that would win anyone any kind of award. Humor is nonexistent as I don’t recall a single joke or funny moment in the entire film. It was just off an running from the very beginning. Although somewhat slow for me at times, Liam Neeson delivers well for this film earning it two and a half cinnamon sticks...out of five, in my cup of tea.