The storyline in this movie is well thought out. Based on a book with the same title by Didier van Cauwelaert, this movie does what so few movies have been able to do recently - tell a story with an ending that you don't guess in the first half of the film. The storyline is a fresh one, not a rehashed plot that has been told a hundred times already.
Liam Neeson plays Dr. Martin Harris, a scientist visiting Berlin for a conference. When Harris and his wife, Elizabeth Harris, arrive at the hotel to check in, he realizes he left his briefcase at the airport. Harris leaves his wife at the hotel and hops into a taxi to return to the airport to retrieve his case. But on the way, the cab is in an accident and Harris suffers a head trauma. He wakes up after four days in a coma and tracks down his wife at the hotel. When Elizabeth sees him, she claims she has no idea who he is. Worse yet, she introduces him to her husband, Dr. Martin Harris, a man who is obviously not him.
What follows is Neeson's character's struggle to figure out what is going on while people around him keep getting murdered. Is he really Dr. Martin Harris? Or is the man with his wife the real Dr. Harris? If so, how does he himself know so much about Dr. Harris? The answers to those questions will surprise you. I won't go into details as few things are worse than watching a movie you already know the ending to.
Liam Neeson Shines
I have been a Liam Neeson fan since he kicked butt in Taken. In Unknown he takes on a similar role, one of a take-charge guy. When Neeson's character is faced with the knowledge that his wife and colleagues say he is not who he claims he is and he has nowhere to turn, we feel his powerlessness. When he wanders aimlessly through the streets of Berlin, we feel his frustration about not knowing what to do next.
Neeson does a phenomenal job of carrying this movie himself yet he does have a more than competent accompanying cast. Many movie go'ers may not recognize January Jones who plays the wife of Dr. Harris. She is most known for her role in the TV series Mad Men and is more than capable of pulling off the role she was cast in. Aidan Quinn plays the other Dr. Martin Harris and Diane Kruger plays a woman that helps Neeson's character uncover the truth.
Unknown is a Thrilling Thriller
This movie is slated as a thriller and that it is. It also has some great action scenes including an edge-of-your-seat car chase scene through the streets of Berlin. The entire movie takes place in Berlin and the city becomes another character in the film, charming at times, destructive in others.
I give this movie two enthusiastic thumbs up!
Toby Welch - Toby is a full-time freelance writer who specializes in magazine articles, online writing, e-books, and manuscript editing.
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