Unknown

Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, Aidan Quinn, Bruno Ganz, Sebastian Koch

Dir. Jaume Collet-Serra
Scr. Oliver Butcher & Stephen Cornwall

It’s not the most thrilling thriller you’ll ever see, and you’ll probably latch on to the surprises before you’re supposed to, but Unknown is an enjoyable and sporadically interesting thriller with some strong performances by a fine cast. This, coupled with the excellent 2008 film Taken, are exactly the roles that suit the now greying Liam Neeson.

Unknown is about stolen identity and finding out who you really are, whether you like it or not. Dr Martin Harris (Neeson) travels to Berlin with his wife Liz (Jones) to speak at a biotechnology conference. After a taxi ride goes horribly wrong, Harris awakes from a coma with only pieces of his memory in tact. But he knows who he is, or does he? His wife doesn’t recognise him and another man (Quinn) appears to be the “real” Martin Harris. Harris enlists the help of his taxi driver Gina (Kruger) and an ex-Stasi policeman turned private detective Jurgen (Ganz) to discover the truth behind what quickly appears to be a dangerous cover-up. Things are not what they appear to be .... and that’s all I will say.

There are enough holes in Unknown’s plot to bug many, but when it’s good, it’s really quite good. The story revolves around biotechnology research, which adds a dimension of intrigue and keeps you guessing. There are enough fight scenes and satisfying explosions to keep the action movie lover happy. And there’s a car chase that is one of the best I have seen in quite some time. The twist in the tail of Unknown really is quite preposterous, but I didn’t care too much. It was the ride I enjoyed and it was a wild one.

The greatest saving grace for this film is its cast. Neeson is mildly wooden but a wonderful hard man when he warms up to it. We saw this in Taken and he continues in this punchy vein. Jones is a tad annoying in her role as Mrs Dr Harris, but not distractingly so. Quinn is quite two-dimensional, as usual. The real stars here are those from the Continent. Kruger is brilliant as the illegal alien taxi driver who is thrown into the mess and drama against her will but for her own survival. Tough and sexy, it’s hard to take your eyes off her. Ganz, known to most of us from his phenomenal portrayal of Hitler in Downfall, is an absolute treat to watch as an ageing old school hard man with dignity in spades. Koch, as the brilliant and altruistic Professor Bressler, is a welcome addition to this cast in his small but vital role. The other cast member is the city of Berlin itself which, of course, is both murky and stunning.

While Unknown is not going to win any awards or test the brain cells too much, it is a perfect Friday night flick for those of us who like a bit of thrilling action in our cinematic diet. Utterly watchable.

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Dr Martin Harris: Do you know what it feels like to become insane? It’s a war between being told who you are and knowing who you are. Which do you think wins?