Reviewed by Victor Rebikoff.
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra, MA, 113 Minutes.
Based on award-winning French author Didier Van Cauwelaert’s novel “Out of My Head”, the movie opens with the arrival of American scientist Dr Martin Harris (Liam Neeson – ‘Taken’) in Germany and his wife Elizabeth (January Jones – ‘X-Men First Class’).
Both are in Berlin attending a bio-technology conference but on arrival at the hotel Harris discovers one of his bags missing and, without telling his wife, quickly jumps into a cab to head back to the airport.
Before too long the cab is forced over a bridge as Harris finds himself plunging into the freezing waters of the Berlin River; he wakes up in hospital after a four-day coma not knowing immediately his real identity.
He soon recalls his name returning to the hotel only to discover that there is another Martin Harris (Aidan Quinn – ‘Flipped’) and his wife Elizabeth after she denies knowing the person purporting to be Dr Harris.
Harris’ desperate search for the truth begins with contacting the cab driver, Gina (Diane Kruger – ‘National Treasure’), who rescued him from the river and agrees to assist him in-between a series of exciting car chases and fight-scenes.
During a crucial moment in the story when Harris remembers most of his past the pieces of the puzzle start falling into place and he is then able to restart his life with Gina and a new identity.
Similar to Hitchcock’s ‘North by Northwest’ which dealt with mistaken identity,
Collet-Serra’s ‘Unknown’ introduces movie lovers to a comparable character that appears to have more than one identity.
This is to some degree due to the director’s use of dream sequences, showing his wife Elizabeth in addition to another woman appearing with Harris in certain scenes, and his association with former collaborator Cole (Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon’).
Once again Neeson delivers a powerful performance, not to mention the pleasing roles from Kruger as his partner in crime; Langella’s portrayal of Neeson’s “good” friend; as well as Bruno Ganz the investigator trying to help Neeson.
Director Collet-Serra (‘Non-Stop’) has fashioned an enjoyable and entertaining mystery-thriller shot against the cinematic beauty of the German capital that is filled with many thrills and spills concluding with a fascinating twist at the end.
Unknown is to be televised on Channel 7 at 8.30pm on Friday 25 June.
Vic’s Verdict: 4 Stars
