New Release Sunday: UNKNOWN

Film Title: UNKNOWN

          It's a very interesting time for movies. February and March are often thought of as "The Spring Dumping Grounds". That dubious period after all the award-laden films have been released, but before the start of the summer onslaught. Luckily over the past few years the windows for the Spring and Fall trash heaps have slowly been closing. The disconcerting issue here is that it's becoming harder to second guess what is trash, and what's exactly worthwhile.
         The case here is even more difficult with a film like "Unknown", it has a well known, and somewhat respected cast (Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, Frank Langella, Bruno Ganz and Aidan Quinn). Is over-seen by a director who got a lot of attention by having one of the most out-there twists to a movie in recent years ("Orphan"). Has an intriguing enough plot, reminiscent of Hitchcock and all hiscopiers: Man is vacationing with wife. Man looses memory. Someone has taken his identity. Conspiracy Plot unfolds. Man races against time to put the pieces together, before it's too late. A film that exists in a web of confusion and disorientation until the inevitably riveting climax. That doesn't sound like the full explanation of the plot, but more like a mad lib sheet.....which the film itself seems to be following. The issue with these films is.....when the end comes, does the audience even care?
         The missteps with "Unknown" lay simply there-in. The end credits just begin, and several movie-goers could be over-heard exclaiming, "oh, I guess it's done now". That isn't directly the fault of the movie, which is entertaining to say the least, if not by-the-book, and a decent time filler. It's merely a film without much care as to how it goes about things. The editor probably liked the end shot he had, decided to enjoy the scenery, and stylistically fade to black once the credits were already a quarter through. The action is fast, but cut all too quickly, leaving little to be savored, with one's own brain filling in the logistical gaps as the picture cuts, and cuts, and cuts. It would help the film move along, if there was something to be invested in on the screen. All the actors feel they are here to get the plot to the next piece, while small character moments exist to try and make the characters appear to be real, but as with the rest of the film, nothing is ever what it seems, even when it isn't.
        Liam Neeson is the most confusing of the bunch, still trying to feel out the latter portion of his careers, feeling that awards and accolades of various sizes and colors, mean nothing in a day where you can beat the crap out of anyone, at any age, and garnish a larger paycheck. January Jones shows up to bring in the television crowd, and the men who appreciate seeing her in a dress. Her acting chops give much to be desired, which raises questions as to how crazy the character of Betty Draper on "Mad Men", is really supposed to be. The rest of the supporting cast is solid, if not just there to help the over-seas market pull in a larger sum. Out of them, Aidan Quinn is the nicest to see, happy to be able to return to a major film release, playing certainly against type.
        Films like "Unknown" have their place and purpose, much like the Airport novels everyone reads. Everything is in plain sight, rather calculated to a precise formula. You only allow yourself to be surprised, by telling yourself you don't know any better.The movie often reminds one of Harrison Ford's " Frantic ", in which a doctor is attending a convention in Paris, and his wife goes missing. This leads him to become embroiled in a conspiracy, that includes finding himself being accompanied by a beautiful (albeit dirtied up) blonde. But a movie like "Unknown" falters under it's own weight. It asks the viewer to question the world around them, then stop to say, "well no, not that, don't worry about that." A director like Jaume Collet-Serra seems more interested in the odder moments. allowing the film to come to life in the 3rd act, which is without question the most entertaining piece. Where, just like Neeson's character, it accepts it's purpose, seeing it through to the very end. Collet-Serra does create several classic moments in the film, in the behavioral instances of several of the smaller characters. Pay close attention to the several scenes including Bruno Ganz's secretive Jurgen, who says so much more with his actions than deemed necessary. Now there's a character who should have their own film.

       "Unknown" sadly never sinks nor swims, it merely floats about, being dragged by the current. Only sporadically, with sudden bursts and fits, does it splash feverishly at the water, showing variant signs of life. It is certainly a mid-February release, that gets seen on the self in November, as one asks themselves "Did I see this film? I think I did, but I can't remember if I liked it or not."
** 1/2 out of *****