Unknown (2011)-Twists and Turns Abound

Every once in a while I feel the need for a dramatic thriller in the break of bad romantic comedies in February. Unknown helps fulfills this with Liam Neeson as Dr. Martin Harris stuck in a dilly of a pickle. Martin is on his way to Berlin with his lovely wife Liz (January Jones) to go to an academic science convention to give a presentation. You will remember this fact because Martin will repeat this at every opportunity in the movie. In any case, everything seems to be going so well once they reach the hotel only for Martin to realize he left his briefcase at the airport and has to take a cab back. An untimely car accident occurs on the road and he is rescued from death by his cab driver Gina (Diane Kruger) only to be in a coma for four days. Once awake, Martin returns to the hotel and finds that his wife not only no longer recognizes him but that another man has taken his place and identity thus begins the premise of the film to uncover the conspiracy behind his stolen identity. Don't worry if I spoiled anything, if you've seen a trailer then they've already set up this entire premise for you to begin with.

Now, with a movie like this that requires so many twists and turns, one wonders how to review it without spoiling too much of the surprise. Liam Neeson is a phenomenal dramatic actor. With the right direction and script, he adds the plausible to an otherwise implausible situation. In this movie we question how much of Martin's problems are a conspiracy, how much is an accident, and if the coincidental is no longer coincidence then how far can we stretch our imagination to believe that these events can be planned and to what purpose? With Unknown we are presented with so many facts and red herrings surrounding Dr. Martin that it begins to boggle the mind at how overly complicated all this becomes just to steal a man's identity and to what purpose? Midway through the movie I had my ideas about the truth and wasn't disappointed. Thankfully the movie explains everything by the end.

3 out of 5: A dramatic thriller that manages to keep your interested with good actors and excellent cinematography, however, you may already figure out the ending long before they spell it out for you.