Unknown

When I saw the trailer for the movie Unknown I got pretty excited. Liam Neeson (awesome person), with a case of stolen identity. It looked like it had car chases, and plenty of scary secrets to discover. It's a thriller, one of my favorite genres.

So, last night, I went and saw Unknown. I was slightly disappointed.

"Do you know what it feels like to become insane? It's a war between being told who you are and knowing who you are... Which do you think wins?" -Martin Harris

Breaking it down into three sections here. Directing/filming, acting, and plot.

Directing/Filming

This was the first Jaume Collet-Serra (director) film I've seen. That doesn't surprise me after glancing at his IMDb page. It looks like he's into horror. Anyway, I was impressed. I loved how he worked in Martin's mind, with the flashbacks and memories. Even in the present it was really cool how you saw things through the character's eyes, putting you in their position.

Flavio Martinez Labiano held the position of cinematographer. Another name I wasn't familiar with, but then again, I'm just starting to get to where I recognize names from those in the crew. I loved the shots in this though, how the whole thing was filmed. The lighting was a little different, but it fit the story so it almost wasn't even noticeable.

Acting

It's Liam Neeson, what can I say? He was amazing? Moving on to everyone else, they were all great actors as well. The beautiful Diane Kruger held her own. The only other thing I've seen her in is, of course, the National Treasure movies. Although she does a good job in those, it's not a performance that I would rate as outstanding. This was. She went up a few notches in my book.

Plot

I'm sure by now you're wondering why I was disappointed with the film. Seems I was happy with everything so far. We can't forget the plot though, it's one of the main things that makes a movie. Oliver Butcher & Stephen Cornwell wrote the screenplay. I liked it when I was just looking at what was going on in that moment, but when you step back and look at the whole thing, things change. First of all, there were several moments where there was a serious lull. If you can't keep things moving, don't write thrillers. Second, and my main annoyance, as it got further into the movie I started to realize, this is a lot like the Bourne Identity. Yeah, it's got it's own little twists, and new characters, but the main story was still there. I understand there's nothing new under the sun, but it is possible to put a new spin on things. This didn't have enough of a spin to set it apart. Not only that, I think the Bourne Identity was an all around better film.

So, if you're ever faced with the choice of Unknown, or the Bourne Identity and you just can't decide, take my advice and go with Matt Damon (awesome person). Despite Liam Neeson's epic aura, he just couldn't bring Unknown up to my expectations.