Hors de moi

The movie sounds intriguing since from the beginning and keeps its sense of mystery and intrigue till the end: this is a good quality, once reminding Hitchcock's thrillers, with the difference that in "Unknown" the thrilling aspect cannot be separated from the frenzy typical of action movies. The result is an entertaining, involving pic, never losing its strong and quick rhythm and letting the viewer staying attached to the screen till the end. Set in a depressing Berlin covered by snow, always marked by the sad signs of a more or less distant past, a good photography gets to capture the overall gloomy atmosphere of the story and the mystery of a character whose vicissitudes seem as much incomprehensible as much needing some resolution, and an effective final twist as well. Liam Neeson plays skillfully, although not always sufficiently expressive, he gets to convey the sense of void of someone looking for some identity. A stand-out performance is offered by Bruno Ganz and also Diane Kruger supports Neeson quite well. Certainly not a masterpiece, but worth the ticket.

Anyone who has watched Liam Neeson's movies have grown accustom to a character that is always thrown into absurd situations but can still somehow use wit, power and skills to get himself out. Unknown offers the same formula but it still works. This movie caught my attention from the get go. I enjoy how Liam is believable in these roles and you forget that he's getting up there in age, if anything, he makes it seem like this is what any man his age is capable of. He is awaken from a coma to discover that his identity has been taken by someone else. Worst yet, his wife doesn't seem to recognize him. With the help of the woman that saved his life, in a country that is not his home, Liam seeks about to prove himself. This movie is action packed and keeps you on the edge while you try to figure out what is going on. And I feel the ending does not disappoint. Enjoyable, entertaining, action packed and thrilling!

Multiple people have compared this to Neeson's 2008 release of "Taken." Both have a similar concept; Liam goes on a fast-paced journey to retrieve something special that has been taken from him. This time it is not his daughter; it is his mind. Unlike "Taken," "Unknown" is more of a suspense mystery than an action flick. There are some chases and fight scenes, but that is not the main focus. The movie's plot is focus and it is unique for it is unpredictable. We are confused like Neeson's character and there are times we don't know if he will succeed. There are multiple twists and unlike most mystery thrillers, it took me more than half through the film to figure it all out.

In short, "Unknown" is a fairly decent mystery thriller. Good performances. Good story for a mystery. Good music. Good cinematography—I particularly like the whole gray, dreary atmosphere that reflects the film's location's bleak weather. Good twists. Good suspense— the sound mixers must've had a kick in adding emphasis on sound effects to startle the audience. The one thing I will note is that Liam Neeson is really showing his age. This is not necessarily a bad thing; on the contrary, it helps his character out. It gets tiresome that Hollywood always uses the generic 30-something year old actor with smashing abs who is tossed into a terrible situation. It is nice to see an aging actor play an upper middle-aged man who has perhaps lost his mind while running away from people trying to kill him.

Multiple people have compared this to Neeson's 2008 release of "Taken." Both have a similar concept; Liam goes on a fast-paced journey to retrieve something special that has been taken from him. This time it is not his daughter; it is his mind. Unlike "Taken," "Unknown" is more of a suspense mystery than an action flick. There are some chases and fight scenes, but that is not the main focus. The movie's plot is focus and it is unique for it is unpredictable. We are confused like Neeson's character and there are times we don't know if he will succeed. There are multiple twists and unlike most mystery thrillers, it took me more than half through the film to figure it all out.

In short, "Unknown" is a fairly decent mystery thriller. Good performances. Good story for a mystery. Good music. Good cinematography—I particularly like the whole gray, dreary atmosphere that reflects the film's location's bleak weather. Good twists. Good suspense— the sound mixers must've had a kick in adding emphasis on sound effects to startle the audience. The one thing I will note is that Liam Neeson is really showing his age. This is not necessarily a bad thing; on the contrary, it helps his character out. It gets tiresome that Hollywood always uses the generic 30-something year old actor with smashing abs who is tossed into a terrible situation. It is nice to see an aging actor play an upper middle-aged man who has perhaps lost his mind while running away from people trying to kill him.

My rating: ***/****

This century has seen Liam Neeson in real leading roles, when his character "permeates" the whole movie and is strong and quick-witted. Taken 1 and 2 are best known, Unknown has - for some reason or another - remained in their shadow. In my opinion, the script of the latter is much stronger, has more twists-turns and unpredictable moments - me being a fan and active viewer of crime thrillers could not guess what kind of background could Neeson's character Dr. Martin Harris really have. Sequence of the events is logical and chases are visually enjoyable. The ending in general is predictable, apart from the very last scene.

Well, all the cast is excellent, not only Liam Neeson; Diane Kruger and Bruno Ganz are the supporting actors more time on screen and they are really good. In short, Unknown is really worth watching - especially if you have not read spoilers :)