It seems that, the studios were advertising a subtle link between
'Unknown' and a previous popular Neeson film 'Taken', which I haven't
yet seen. And it certainly seems to be working with 'Unknown' reaching
No 1 in the North American box office with opening weekend takings of
over $25 million.
I found the trailer intriguing and I like Liam Neeson so 'Unknown'
became a must see for me on the big screen.
The story sees Dr Martin Harris, a bio-chemist played by Neeson, wake
from a four day coma after a car crash in
a conference. His memories are hazy. To make matters worse, no-one
knows who he is especially his wife who is now wedded to another Dr
Martin Harris. Well I never! Confused by the unfolding scenario, he
sets out with the help of a young woman and a former Stasi member to
find the truth.
Now, these are the sort of films I love. If the cast is right, the
script is good and the action is paced throughout the story, then you
will have a quality film.
And that is exactly what you have here. All you have to do is mix in a
nice juicy twist and you have a very amusing movie. 'Unknown'
presses all the right buttons. I didn't once lose concentration on the
storyline as I was totally engrossed the whole way through.
Liam Neeson is perfect as the lead, played with just the right amount
of confusion, fear, paranoia, hope and anger. He is a man who has woken
up from a very long sleep to find that he doesn't actually exist.
The supporting cast throw plenty into the mix too, especially an
impressive Diane Kruger as Gina, an illegal immigrant who gets drawn
into the action when it is her cab that is caught up in the original
accident. Kruger has plenty of screen time here, much of it with Neeson
and she more than holds her own.
The film carries a threatening hint as the murky goings on leave
you baffled as to who is the real Dr Harris, not to mention who, what,
where, why. You do realise that the injured Dr Harris isn't mad because
there are regular attempts on his life – that wouldn't happen if he was
just some nutcase – but I'll be surprised if you genuinely guess what
is going on. I certainly didn't.
The character Ernst Jurgen, who is attempting to help discover the
truth, also spices up the mix as a former Stasi member. It helps add a
touch of the old Cold War spy story.
Although a vital character, January Jones doesn't have a large amount
of screen time as Elizabeth Harris and I personally think that Frank
Langella is under used here as Rodney Cole – Dr Harris's boss. Langella
has the perfect charm for this sort of thriller and he shows it in
the small screen time that he gets.
A small disadvantage in terms of storyline, in my opinion, is that the
killers who are after the injured Dr Harris would have finished him off
by at least the second attempt on his life – events pan out just right
for him to get away on more than one occasion – but then the film
wouldn't have lasted very long if this had been the case.
The film runs for approximately 100 minutes and could have easily run
for another 20 minutes without outstaying it's welcome.
In fact, I was so enamoured by 'Unknown' that I'll now rent 'Taken' to
see what I've been missing.
