The Movie Nut




 

 

“Unknown”

Directed by: Jaume Collet-
Serra
Starring: Liam Neeson, January Jones, Diane Kruger, Frank
Langella
MPAA rating: PG-13
Running time: 113 minutes
Best suited for: Neeson fans,
psychological thriller fans
Least suited for: Psychological thriller fans who think too
hard
Acorn Rating Guide:

This one caught me with the trailer. One reason: Liam Neeson makes some pretty decent thrillers for thinking cinephiles. Two: The suggested plot seemed so preposterous that I wasn’t sure how they’d pull it off without leaving the audience either snickering or moaning.

 

 

For me, a “dare” movie is almost as appreciated as a “sure thing.” That’s not to say a dare movie can’t prove credible. And, like “Unknown,” many have done so using amnesia as a formulaic device.

“The Bourne Identity,” of course, and Harrison Ford in “Frantic” come to mind (while he’s taking a shower in a Parisian hotel room his wife disappears; no amnesia but similar sinister confusion), “Mr. Buddwing” in ’66, although I’m including this just to show you how hip I am.

My all-time favorite is 1965’s “Mirage.” Gregory Peck develops a sudden case of amnesia during a New York City blackout. Intriguing notion. And I’m waiting for a remake, fellas.

So is “Unknown” that sort of believable? Well, how elastic is your imagination?

Dr. Martin Harris (Neeson) is attending a conference in Berlin with his pretty wife, Elizabeth (Jones). But arriving at the hotel, he realizes he’s left an attaché case at the airport, so he catches a cab back to retrieve it.

The problem: There’s a traffic accident and Dr. Harris wakes up in a hospital four days later, without proper ID (’twas in his case) and rather confused about things. But he soon remembers he’s left his wife at the hotel and his conference is in progress, although much in his battered brain is still hazy.

When he finally arrives at the conference, his wife seems not to know him. Even more suspiciously, another Dr. Martin Harris exists, and he’s married to Liz.

See? Not your everyday sort of amnesia.

So Dr. Harris (the one with amnesia) begins to snoop around a very bleak and cold Berlin. He learns a few things (and, oh, did I mention there may be a coincidence here and there?) and pretty soon a somewhat far-fetched but adequately watchable psycho thriller begins to take shape.

Things may not be what they seem, both inside and outside of Dr. Harris’s bruised head.

And of course I can’t say more. Giving away the plot is roughly akin to reading the last page of a mystery novel. People do it, of course, but why?

For those of you who pack away every tidbit of information in a film, waiting to jump up, finger wagging, to shout, “Shenanigans!”— well, you’ll admittedly have a few instances to bolt.

For “Unknown’s” first 30 minutes or so, the filmmakers attempt to steer us in subtly specific directions. Throw in a few well-placed random occurrences (possible yet not probable) and the audience is adequately uncertain of where this bus is taking us.

Most of “Unknown’s” persnickety red herrings aren’t necessary, although the film seems so anxious to move us along they forget that, yeah, a few of us do remember these things. Doesn’t ruin a film, but sometimes keeps it a few steps from greatness.

So “Unknown” is a pretty good thriller, a good cast, some nice suspense, but a few gimmicks away from greatness.

Oh, and my wife didn’t appreciate the high-intensity, “Bourne”-style car chases. Those few frantic moments took her out of that cocoon of believability, and I’m simply passing that along for the sake of future thriller makers. Admittedly, they provided some nifty action sequences in an otherwise cerebral story but weren’t really necessary when a solid plot will suffice.

Overall, “Unknown” turned out better than I’d thought possible on such a spindly-legged dare.

And if one can believe in Hobbits or Na’vi, then one can believe that a just-so series of coincidences can marry off your wife to another man with your name, leave you stranded in a foreign country and provide you with a really cute cab driver willing to help direct you to all the answers.

It’s Hollywood. Why not?