Unknown 2011

Unknown 2011

So I went to the movies yesterday to check out the new Liam Neeson flick Unknown and was rewarded with movie with a great plot, good acting, and very clever pacing.  First of all this is the 2011 movie with Neeson and should not be confused with the less popular but fun Unknown from 2006.  This is not a remake and has no relations to the other film (disclaimer included to rub a friend's nose in his misinformation).  This movie is loosely based on a novel I am unfamiliar with titled Out of My Head by Didier Van Cauwelaert, a French author, that from the two reviews I read might be worth a read.  Secondly it has to be made clear that I will be trying desperately to avoid spoilers, which means a lot of details will be hinted at and that plot discussion will be minimal. 

To start out I will just say this movie was really good.  It kept you on your toes, was well acted, and had some action to boot.  I went into this expecting to see more of an action/espionage movie, but this is more of a head game thriller with an espionage plot device and action sprinkles.  The pacing moved quickly at first, then lulled before an epic build up to the last 40 minutes and the last 40 minutes throws you around loops so fast that it feels like a roller coaster.  It is this pacing that makes this movie work so well and credit should be rightly given to the Director Jaume Collet-Serra, known for the creepy Orphan (2009) and fun Goal II (2007), and the Screenwriters Oliver Butcher and Stephen Cornwell.  I must admit I was ignorant of these two screenwriters before this film and their resumes are very unimpressive, but this script was a winner.  The devilish twists and turns, the ample red herrings, and great plot devices like the fantastic ex-Stasi agent may have been ripped straight from the novel, but they were perfectly adapted for the screen.  I have seen Collet-Serra works before and pacing is one area that Goal II failed to do, but in Orphan and Unknown pacing made OK movies great.  The rest of the technical side was pretty common fare.  The sound and music was good, but not noteworthy.  The cinematography, by Flavio Labiano, was solid, but failed to stand out.

What can be said about the plot without spoilers is limited.  The ex-Stasi agent mentioned above is a blatant plot device to fill in background, but the acting and character make it one of the most memorable expositions I have seen in the last few years.  This movie keeps the audience on its toes and it isn't made clear if there is a science fiction, spy, assassination, accidental, crazy, or true loss of reality explanation for the amnesia and series of events that Liam Neeson's character Dr. Martin Harris undergoes.  I frequently questioned facts that were presented earlier in the film as truth and it wasn't until near the end that I really understood all the flip and loops in the plot.

The acting was great.  Liam Neeson is a fantastic actor and seems to have hit a stride in his career where he will be making some really top notch films, notably Taken  from 2008 and Chloe from 2009 both of which are must see movies.  In this he plays part action hero, part man loosing his mind.  He balances it perfectly and little else can be said about his performance.  It was perfect.  It probably isn't award notable, but move aside Bruce Willis, Neeson might be my new favorite middle aged action star. 

 
The supporting actresses are also a great fit for the movie.  The sidekick character, the taxi driver Gina played by Diane Kruger (Abigail from the Nation Treasure movies), displays a great range of emotions and manages to pull off some great action sequences while looking totally terrified.  The character of Dr. Harris's wife, played by January Jones (porn name anyone?) from the TV series Madmen, pulls off cold and calculating in a very chilling way.  The picture displayed lower right almost captures her icy manner.  These two characters have similar looks, but appear to be deliberate contrasts to each other.  The other supporting roles are played well by Bruno Ganz, Hitler in the masterpeice Downfall (2004) the ex-Stasi private investigator Jurgen and Frank Langella as Rodney Cole a friend of Harris.

There is little else to say about this film without ruining any of the pleasant plot twists, except that the film was shot in Berlin and has some beautiful scenery.  The are multiple parts that sell this move.  The plot, the actors, the pacing, and even the very satisfying nature of understanding it all at the end, but the movie has a few shortcomings.  I went in expecting to see more action and was disappointed.  A few more close escapes or fights during the building up phase of the movie would have kept me on the edge of my seat for the whole movie rather than just the epic last 40 minutes or so.  The end fights are short, but give such a satisfying climax and conclusion that I forgave the too tight camera angles and frequent cuts.  This movie might require more casual watchers to think about the plot for 5 minutes after the movie yet won't bust anyone's brain with philosophical questions, but I wouldn't recommend it for the GI Joe fans as the effects and fights are short and spread out.

So in conclusion, I really like this movie.  It should take Neeson fans and people who like spy thrillers for a good ride.  I would recommend this movie for anyone interested in a fun box office movie and fans of espionage flicks.