Unknown

Liam “hard-guy" Neeson is hitting people again. Although this isn’t as effective as Taken, it is still very, very entertaining. The main problem of Unknown is the fairly strange screenplay that wanted to surprise so much that toward the end I was gritting my teeth at just how artificial it was. But I liked it. Both Diane Kruger and January Jones are nice to look at, Neeson is right at home in this type of role and Bruno Ganz got to me the moment he opened the door. Otherwise, nice car chases, easy-to-follow action and the story... erm, unusual. A decent genre movie. (05/26/2011)

After reading the plot summary I made a bet with myself as to whether I would give 4 or 5 stars. Unfortunately, I lost in both cases and I'm still quite disappointed. The whole movie kind of unfolds without surprises with a lot of unnecessary car chases. Only the excellent ending is above average. Otherwise nothing new under the sun. A little better 3 stars. (07/02/2011)

Unknown doesn't come up with groundbreaking or new. By unraveling the puzzle surrounding the main character's identity(ies), it additionally brings back into play one recent fashion wave, BUT... Jaume Collet-Serra proves once again, after the brilliant Orphan, that his first film was a necessary evil for its time in order for him to enter Hollywood, and only now can he show what all is brewing within him. I won't lament the plot, which again follows a template that has been seem many times. Serra has a way with actors that is absolutely perfect, and his baby works especially when he’s playing the paranoia card. The ending, however, offers something that has not failed to amaze me of late. That something is the current acting position of Liam Neeson, who, on the verge of sixty, has switched to the role of uncompromising action hero who hides under the guise of civilian ordinariness, only to shoot accurately and deliver a hard hits at the right moment. His ruthless charisma permeates the entire film and makes you forget that it doesn't fit the logic in places. PS: The extremely kind Arab sheik and a former Stasti member as positive characters? :) (05/26/2011)

The final plot resolution is very interesting and not at all predictable. The action is scarce, but when it occurs, it has drive, and in fact, it is all somewhat “Bourne-like”, including the excellently utilized winter and freezing Berlin full of gray streets, dirt, homeless people, contrasted by luxury hotels, cars, and Arab sheikhs. Everything around the mysterious group of people is cold, raw, and uncompromising, while on the other hand, Liam Neeson is very down-to-earth and believable (as it’s his standard). They relied on a proven template from recent years, and they definitely did not spoil the result, which is a skillfully directed story with good performances. Bruno Ganz is monumental. (07/21/2011)

An accomplished thriller that seems to have arrived in 2011 from the seventies, when masterpieces like The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin and The Quiller Memorandum were being made. Everything seen (the strangely atmospheric, gloomy Berlin, the progressively gritty Neeson, the sympathetic Kruger, the charismatic Ganz, one of the best car chases in recent times) and heard (the good Ottman) was great. The final twist wasn't that much of a twist, but I can't complain. It's a shame that Unknown was unable to avoid a few horrible clichés in the finale. I still give it four stars. I had fun and I was tense.__P.S. I don't know what was supposed to be mysterious about the film. (09/07/2011)