Cinema Verdict Review: Unknown

Unknown

OPENING: 02/18/2011

STUDIO: Warner Bros.

RUN TIME: 113 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Take back your life.

Opening Statement
The Liam Neeson action/thriller Taken proved a surprising box office smash, so it’s only natural that Neeson should attempt to duplicate that success. The similarly-marketed Unknown often looks and feels like Taken (both feature Neeson on a frantic personal mission in Europe), but proves to be a less compelling and much less satisfying motion picture.

Facts of the Case
Neeson plays Dr. Martin Harris, an American traveling with his wife Elizabeth (January Jones, Mad Men) to a conference in Germany. On the way to the conference, Martin is in a terrible car accident. He is rescued by an illegal immigrant named Gina (Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds) and taken to a hospital, where he remains in a coma for four days. Upon waking up, Martin is suffering from partial amnesia. He knows that his name is Martin Harris, that he is married to a woman named Elizabeth and that he is in Germany on business, but beyond that the details are very hazy.

Martin is quickly able to track Elizabeth down, but she acts as if she doesn’t recognize him. Making matters more confusing is the fact that another man (Aidan Quinn, Legends of the Fall) is claiming to be Dr. Harris. Determined to figure out what’s going on, Martin enlists the services of both Gina and a private investigator (Bruno Ganz, Wings of Desire). As he gets closer and closer to unraveling the mystery, the level of danger increases. Will Martin find out what happened to his identity before it’s too late?

The Evidence
Though the trailers for Unknown didn’t exactly get me excited, I was willing to give those involved the benefit of the doubt. After all, Liam Neeson’s forceful turn in Taken permitted that film to transcend its generic plot and rampant xenophobia. I also enjoyed Orphan, the unapologetically tasteless horror flick from Unknown director Jaume Collet-Serra. Alas, Collet-Serra should have brought some of that fearless crazy to this film, which offers a considerably tamer, much less entertaining brand of silliness.

There was a man sitting behind me in the theatre; chatting to himself throughout the movie. From scene to scene, the man would say something to effect of, “and now this is going to happen, and this person is going to react this way.” This sort of behavior is generally annoying, though it’s worth noting that his guesses mirrored my own and he was right on the money every single time. Despite its twisty-turny nature and mysterious premise, Unknown is so obviously directed and written that it tips its hand at every turn. The film goes through the usual motions of a thriller, but never thrills because we’re always a couple steps ahead of it.

The film bears a passing resemblance to a great many action movies, and a more striking resemblance to Roman Polanski’s Frantic. That film offered a great deal of cinematic polish that made the whole affair engaging, plus just enough off-key absurdity to keep us on our toes. Part of what made the movie work so well is that Polanski and actor Harrison Ford skillfully kept the film’s emotional core at the surface. It’s hard to care much about anyone in Unknown, particularly since there is such a strong possibility that Martin Harris isn’t actually Martin Harris. Since we aren’t really sure of who anyone is or what their motivations are, we can’t get too invested in them. That notion is not necessarily a film-killer, but the movie needed to be smart and involving enough on other levels to compensate for the lack of any emotional pull. It isn’t, as Collet-Serra’s direction is pedestrian and the script lacks any flavor or inventive ideas.

Neeson does what he can with the material, but at times he seems more frustrated by the narrow range of his scenes than he does the plight of his character. Still, his earlier scenes in which he essays a concerned, amnesia-ridden husband play more persuasively than his later scenes as a one-liner-quipping action hero. January Jones and Aidan Quinn have little to do, while Diane Kruger’s respectable performance is often shoved into the background. The actors faring the best are old pros Bruno Ganz and Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), who share the film’s one genuinely worthwhile scene. It’s a lovely moment which suggests a film more thoughtful and intriguing than the one we’re watching.

Closing Statement
Though not an incompetent film or even the worst Neeson has done lately (it’s more enjoyable than Joe Carnahan’s terrible The A-Team, at least), Unknown is a disappointingly dull waste of time. Do yourself a favor and rent Frantic instead.

The Verdict
5/10

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