Liam Neeson is turning into quite an action star these days despite his advancing age. After starring in the surprise action hit Taken, Liam tries his hand at another similar movie except with a much fewer body count. Unknown is a crafty little thriller set in international lands and is much better than I expected it to be. I thought this would be almost like a sequel to Taken but what I got was a tense, smartly-written thriller.
This film is about a husband, Dr. Martin Harris and a wife, Liz who travels to Germany because of a press conference. After suffering in an accident, Martin wakes up to find out his whole world is turned upside down when he finds out his wife does not recognize him and an impostor has taken his place. Now, he has to face many challenges if he is to get things back to normal.
Liam Neeson is making a name for himself as an action star. He was pretty good to watch in this movie. The supporting cast led by January Jones, Diane Kruger, and Frank Langella is really good as well.
Overall, this is a tense thriller which is way better than the release date it had would suggest. This movie was slow at times and it reminded me greatly of Harrison Ford's Frantic, but despite some clichés, the cast and some tense moments rose this film above mediocrity. I rate this film 8/10.
Unknown
2011
Action / Adventure / Mystery / Thriller

Unknown
2011
Action / Adventure / Mystery / Thriller
Synopsis
A biochemist and his dishy wife arrive in Berlin for a conference at which a scientist and his controversial Arab funder will announce breakthrough research. While his wife checks into the hotel, he grabs a cab to return to the airport for his briefcase, left at the curb. En route, an auto accident puts him in a coma, from which he awakes four days later without identification and with gaps in his memory. He goes to the hotel: his wife refuses to recognize him and another man has claimed his identity. With help from a nurse, the cab driver, a retired Stasi agent, and an academic friend, he tries to unravel what's going on. Is the answer in the briefcase?
Uploaded By: OTTO
January 26, 2012 at 10:49 PM
Director
Cast
Tech specs
720p.BLUMovie Reviews
Crafty Thriller!
Great Action Thriller
I just watched this for a second time. Great story line, good backdrop location (Berlin), and solid acting. I was particularly drawn to the relatively minor role of Ernst Jurgen played to chilling effect by Bruno Ganz. If you like the Action Thriller genre i can't imagine you'd be disappointed with this underrated gem. At the time of writing this review the rating is 6.9 but i gave it a 9.
Entertaining paranoid action thriller, though not among the greats of the genre
The build-up is exciting: Someone has stolen the identity and life of the protagonist ... or is he, himself, going insane? Martin Harris (the ever reliable Liam Neeson) explains the struggle in his mind as: "a war between being told who you are and knowing who you are." The premise is followed by great action scenes and twists and turns to keep you guessing most of the way. A movie like this, however, ends well by keeping suspension of disbelief on a tight leash, for the viewer to really invest emotionally. The third act, unfortunately, looses the grip. Where genre classics like The Fugitive (1993) and The Game (1997) held the viewer fast to the heart-pounding end, Unknown Identity ends up increasingly far-fetched, and it eventually couldn't keep me truly caring about the story.
6/10