Film Review Unknown
It is important not to rely on the trailer of “Unknown”. Behind its traditional tunes lurks a surprising and well done film, which is in suspense until almost the end.
While in Berlin for a major conference, Dr Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) and his wife Elizabeth (January Jones) swim in the open imbroglio. Gentleman has an accident and is in a coma for several days. When he awoke, he returned to see his wife who claims not to know. Yet, she is happily married to Dr. Martin Harris (Aidan Quinn) …
Pleasant surprises abound in this production that mixes suspense and action effectively. Although it is not particularly novel, the screenplay – based on the novel by Didier Van Cauwelaert – the road is surprisingly good, especially during the first part where the moviegoer is immersed in Kafkaesque nightmare.
In addition to borrowing from the movies that Hitchcock and Polanski (mainly “Frantic”), the story pays homage to the best thrillers of the 1990s, whether “The Fugitive” and “The Game”. What could be so trite and cliche takes unsuspected proportions, adding significant depth to the themes in place, playing with the history of this country and the plight of undocumented migrants. The introduction is so powerful that the conclusion can only disappoint. If it were possible to ignore all the improbabilities, there would always be fatal to drop the last straw, what happens before sunset generic.
In the meantime you can take pleasure in the execution, which can count on a solid achievement by Jaume Collet-Serra. Yep, the very man who had run before the disastrous “House of Wax”, “Goal! II: Living the Dream” and “The Orphan”. Hard to know what is found in coffee, but the magic potion operates at full capacity. The pace is fast, vicious, while the staging uses the technical possibilities (sound and light) to better transcribe the fragile mind of the protagonist. His way of describing Berlin – City of cold and mystery where nothing seems to be what he really is – is surprisingly far from common usage.
Mode without emotion the past few years, Liam Neeson provides without unduly surprised. If it’s much more convincing than the ridiculous “Taken”, it is not the shadow of the great actor he once was. What to prefer the more heartfelt and voluntarily cold January Jones (from “Grace Kelly”), the intense Aidan Quinn, and correct, but underuse Diane Kruger, Bruno Ganz and Frank Langella.
“Unknown” does nothing to revolutionize such well marked. It is simply not the failure that presaged his regular trailer. It’s already very good news for viewers who are fond of intelligent entertainment.
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