Liam Neeson proved himself a surprisingly bankable action hero in 2009’s Taken. In Unknown, Hollywood has another go with Neeson–the–action–star, this time accompanied by a high profile supporting cast. Unfortunately, all the star–power in Hollywood can’t save this black hole of a movie.
In Unknown, Neeson plays Dr. Martin Harris, an inexplicably important biological researcher traveling to Berlin with his wife (Jones) to give a speech on a mysterious subject of a sensitive nature. After he suffers an accident in the cab of beautiful illegal immigrant Gina (Kruger), he wakes up to find that another man has stolen his identity. In order to prove that he is indeed the only Martin Harris, he enlists the help of Gina and an ex–Statsi spy. What ensues is a convoluted plot that is at the same time entirely predictable.
Director Jaume Collet–Serra seems to have read the manual on how to make a psychological thriller. All the elements (mind–bending alliances, icy–look–alike femme fatales) are there, but the film falls flat because of this adherence to the formula. Perhaps in an effort to modernize his take on the tried–and–true genre, Collet–Serra utilizes some bizarre camera work that has no place within the film’s context. Recurring and repetitive hyper–saturated flashbacks seem to have no point other than to nauseate the audience.
The cast’s handling of the material is equally confounding. His unsuccessful attempt at an American accent aside, Neeson delivers each cliched line as though it is followed by a period, creating a jarring cadence to his speech that’s difficult to take seriously.
Kruger, similarly afflicted by the bad accent bug (she’s meant to be Bosnian), has little to do other than look gorgeous and try (somewhat unconvincingly) to convey her unrequited love for Neeson through lingering camera shots. Frank Langella, given preciously little screen time, wastes it on fulfilling tired, villainous stereotypes. It seems as though the actors gave up on trying to make their characters believable the moment the camera started rolling.
The real question is: if the cast seems to have no faith in the film, why should anyone else? Unknown’s title doubles as an answer to why anyone thought this film was worth releasing.
Unknown Directed by: Jaume Collet–Serra Starring: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones Rated PG-13, 113 min.
