Unknown isn’t a particularly special film and it’s nowhere near as great or suspenseful as Taken, but on its own, this is a well developed picture that Neeson fans and those who enjoy a simple mystery will find this to be a fine way to spend two hours on a movie night. The Blu-ray has good video and audio transfers but the features are few and far between, unfortunately.
Unknown (2011)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Thriller, Mystery, Action
Warner Bros. | PG13 – 113 min. – $35.99 | June 21, 2011
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Writer(s): Didier Van Cauwelart (novel); Oliver Butcher & Stephen Cornwell (screenplay)
Cast: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, Frank Langella
Theatrical Release Date: February 18, 2011
Movie Website: http://unknownmovie.warnerbros.com
DISC INFO:
Features: Featurettes, DVD Copy, Digital Copy
Number of Discs: 2
Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 2.40
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Region(s): Region Free
THE MOVIE – 3.75/5
“I didn’t forget everything. I remember how to kill you… asshole.”
Liam Neeson is on somewhat of a hot streak in the past few years from his villainy turn in Batman Begins back in 2005 to the wildly successful suspense-thriller Taken in 2008 (he’s also unafraid of taking on some of the more “fluffy” projects such as Clash of the Titans, The A-Team and the upcoming Battleship). When the trailers for Unknown were shown in theaters and on television, the studio very much marketed on his success with Taken and indeed, in some ways it looked like Taken 2. If you go in with that mindset, which I think some professional critics did, you will be disappointed. But if you go in with an open mind, you might find it to be a well crafted thriller.
Note: This review contains some major spoilers so please keep that in mind.
Unknown centers on Dr. Martin Harris (NEESON) is an American bio-technologist in Berlin with his wife Elizabeth (JANUARY JONES) for a conference. When he accidentally leaves his briefcase at the airport – with passport and important papers inside no less – he goes back to retrieve it but gets into a freak car accident which plunges his taxi into the waters where he gets a good crack in the head. He is saved by the taxi driver who we later learn is an illegal immigrant named Gina (DIANE KRUGER) but when Harris awakens from a 4-day coma, he has fuzzy memories.
Despite the advice of his doctor, Harris leaves the hospital and pieces together who he is and the hotel he and his wife are staying. But when he finally arrives, he discovers somebody else (AIDAN QUINN) has taken his identity and his own wife has no idea who he is! He seeks the help of Gina, the last person who saw him before the accident, as he tries to piece together what exactly is going on and it’s something more sinister than a stolen identity.
Going in, I knew this wasn’t going to be similar to Taken and in while it indeed isn’t nearly as suspenseful, there’s a certain amount of mystery surrounding the story – in conjunction with the charm that Neeson brings with each of his roles – to allow Unknown to stand on its own. And then we get to the twist at the end where, I suspect, most critics took issue with. I won’t divulge what it is exactly, but let’s just say The Bourne Identity isn’t too far off. Ok, I guess that’s a huge spoiler…
Unknown is based on the novel (“Out of My Heart”) from Didier Van Cauwelaert, adapted by Oliver Butcher (Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde) & Stephen Cornwell (Killing Streets) and was helmed by Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra who had previously directed two diverse horror films in Orphan and House of Wax.
Based on the talent behind the camera, it makes me wonder what potential was left along the wayside but even so, the film is still effective enough. This is thanks in large, nay huge, part to the weight Neeson brings to each and every scene. Sure, in every film he’s in, his voice inflection is the same (no difference between his character here and that of Ras Al Ghul in Batman Begins), yet at the same time it’s not is voice that does the acting but his facial expressions that can convey unease in one scene to anger then to sadness in other scenes.
Unknown isn’t a great film by any stretch and some of the plot points do become a tad ridiculous, but at the same time, it’s an entertaining flick which has plenty of replay value. Liam Neeson might not be at the top of his game here but he helps propel the story along while the supporting cast, led by Diane Kruger, also does fine work complimenting him.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.25/5
Even though the movie did good business at the box office ($130 million worldwide) yet it only received two mundane featurettes:
Liam Neeson: Known Action Hero (4:33; HD) – Discover how the star solidifies his action star status. This is a simple BTS featurette where the cast and crew talk about working with Neeson and the action scenes in the film. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **
Unknown: What is Known? (4:24; HD) – Investigate the characters and plot of this international thriller. This one of those EPK featurettes with clichés interview sound bites mixed in with behind-the-scenes footage and clips from the film as a way to sell the film.
The second disc contains a DVD Copy and Digital Copy (** Blu-ray Exclusive **) combo.
VIDEO – 4.5/5
Unknown comes to Blu-ray in 1080p high-def clarity and its original 2.40 aspect ratio. The picture itself doesn’t have a whole lot of color thanks to filming in the cold, wintery weather of Germany though we get good range when inside. The detail levels are great and while it may seem oversaturated, I’m certain that was the director’s intentions in setting up a gritty look similar to that of Taken.
AUDIO – 4.25/5
The disc comes with a solid DTS-HD Master Audio track and has good range between clear dialogue levels to the action sequences for which there are plenty including a car chases and a bombastic explosion to give the track some depth.
OVERALL – 3.5/5
Overall, Unknown isn’t a particularly special film and it’s nowhere near as great or suspenseful as Taken, but on its own, this is a well developed picture that Neeson fans and those who enjoy a simple mystery will find this to be a fine way to spend two hours on a movie night.
Brian Oliver, The Movieman
Published: 06/24/2011
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2.