Unknown
2011 Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Synopsis
Take Back Your Life
An American biologist attending a big conference in Berlin awakens from a coma after a car accident, only to discover that someone has taken his identity and that no one, not even his wife, believes him. Then people try to kill him. With the help of an illegal immigrant and a former Stazi agent, he sets out to prove who he is and find out why this is happening.
Cast
Popular reviews
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A really strong film to begin with, I got truly excited about the ending. But the last 30-45 minutes was abhorrent rubbish.
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Without Neeson this probably would have skipped everyone's attention. He elevates a fairly decent mystery that has some fine action but suffers from a daft twist and a generic ending. January Jones looking as bored as she always does doesn't help matters.
Although any film that has a tense stand off between Adolf Hitler and Richard Nixon can't be all bad.
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Too much mystery and not enough punching in the face
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I'm quite fond of the idea of Liam Neeson being an action star and he's been doing a really good job selling exactly that with Taken and to a lesser extent The Grey (not really an action movie). However, even with that in mind and Neeson delivering an expectedly solid, serviceable performance I had too many issues with Unknown to truly enjoy it. It's an interesting concept that kept me intrigued for about an hour, but there is one specific plot point from which on I found myself caring less and less about anything. Neeson really delivers as the confused amnesiac trying to figure out who he really is (or isn't?) and had it kept to that until the end…
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One of those movies where only one person knows the truth about what's going on, but unlike the Julianne Moore movie THE FORGOTTEN, at least this one makes sense when everything is explained. Things get quite satisfying in the final act, and Liam Neeson murders everyone like only modern day Liam Neeson can.
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Man Liam Neeson is not short of work of late is he? A high-polish production, escalated by predictably excellent performances from both Neeson and Kruger. We've all seen the story, and we all know the basic beats of the man whose life suddenly isn't the one he remembers, and the inevitable intrigues that emerge, but this film acquits itself with style, confidence and skill. It's also nice to see such a convoluted plot endeavor (with remarkable success) to address its plot holes.
Recent reviews
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Good thriller, slightly confusing in the first hour or so, which might drift some people away. Main point of watching this movie is in the ending, plus Liam Neeson being awesome as usual.
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The movie tries hard to recreate the magic of Taken but falls short. Lian Neesan keeps the film going with his dynamic screen presense. It has all the incredients of a great thriller but some how failed to engage me in its entirity.
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Liam Neeson is as awesome as ever, but it's Kruger that stands out from the good cast. Good action, better story make the film undeniably amusing.
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A mi parecer, excelente, te mantiene pensando y averiguando como terminará, me gusto mucho el tema de la película y su desarrollo en si, Liam Neeson como siempre excelente. Pensé que la película seria mas al estilo de Taken pero no, es totalmente otra cosa.
Una muy buena pelicula a mi parecer.
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I tried sitting down 3 times to watch this movie and didn't care any of those times. I finally got through it but it wasn't worth it.
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One of the best non-linear plots ever
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Starts as an interesting Hitchcockian thriller but quickly deteriorates into pointless action and car chases.
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Not a bad entry into the Liam Neeson action movie category that launched with Taken. The twist was pretty decent, but it kind of went downhill once that was revealed. It was nice to see Betty Draper get blown to bits though.
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So I think it's safe to say that I just do not like Liam Neeson thrillers. It begins with quite exciting prospects but it falls flat after around the half way point, when you know that it's just going to disappoint you after it's slow build up. It's not predictable but it's not full of suspense either. Unlike Taken it is has a better developed story, but then the action takes a back seat. It's hard to know which way around I prefer Neeson's thrillers! Let's just go with neither.