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Bookmark this pageUnknown (2010)
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Movie review
From Time Out London
Identity theft? A few dodgy card transactions are nothing compared to Liam Neeson’s travails in this spirited but wonky contemporary thriller. He’s a top biochemist just landed in Berlin. Forgetting his briefcase at the airport, he leaves his wife (January Jones) at their hotel, whereupon an auto snarl-up dumps his taxi in the River Spree – from which he escapes with his life, and little else. No ID, memory shaky. Not much help, then, when the missus claims he’s a total stranger and Aidan Quinn is filling his shoes. Will anyone believe his story?The answer, sadly, proves to be rather less captivating than the question, and the movie rather crumbles when it eventually has to deliver its secrets. Ordinarily, this would leave viewers cursing under their breath, but director Jaume Collet-Serra manages a playful tone which encourages us to lighten up and enjoy this neatly turned fluff for what it is. Crisp car chases, scene-stealing Bruno Ganz as a Stasi-trained private eye and Neeson’s ably grounding presence help in that process.
Author: Trevor Johnston
Time Out London Issue 2115: March 3 - 9, 2011
User reviews of this film
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- John Cooper said...
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Posted on Feb 06 2012 00:16
The Time Out reviewer is dead right about Liam
Nesson's ` grounding presence`, Thanks to his acting
talent, and a down-to-earth Berlin location, the viewer
can almost forget the absurdity of the plot which
ultimately disappoints with a sub-Bourne type ending
which is an insult to one's intelligence. Well-crafted
cinematography and good performances from the rest
of the actors make this film watchable, but it's not as
good as Frantic ( with Harrison Ford ) which had more
heart . . . . Three stars .. just about . . - Report as inappropriate
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- Will said...
- Posted on Jul 22 2011 23:25 I thought this synopsis was excellent. I was thoroughly enjoying the movie right up until the point when all secrets were laid on the table. Up until that point it was excellent and had loads of potential. Unfortunately after this point the characters all of a sudden became meaningless. They had at least two other alternative endings that would have kept viewers sympatetic with the hero.Unfortunalely they went with a third option that makes a mokery of the earlier part of the movie.
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- shannon said...
- Posted on Jul 01 2011 19:02 Does this movie cuss a lot?my kids wanna c it..?
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- Thomas Noctor said...
- Posted on May 21 2011 14:29 Excellent Movie! It's nothing like Total Recall or Taken! Great thriller, a must see! The Assassin with the glasses was a class act! Well written. 5 Stars!
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- umit said...
- Posted on Apr 28 2011 14:11 total recall re-make???????????**
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- alan said...
- Posted on Apr 11 2011 12:37 good thriller good story good night out
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- ed said...
- Posted on Mar 30 2011 09:36 Oh yeah, special mention to the intersting cast Bruno Ganz (who's played Hitler in DOWNFALL) and Frank Langella (who's played richard Nixon in FROST/NIXON)... these heavyweights elavate it somewhat...along with Sebastian Koch (from THE LIVES OF OTHERS and HAL HARTLEY'S FLIRT) and the main dude from THE COUNTERFEITERS....
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- ed said...
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Posted on Mar 30 2011 09:26
Really happy that i got to see this. This si a throwback to the 1990s when a film like this came out every other week. Nowadays, films like these take themselves wayyyy too seriously (I blame Bourne Identity). This has the similar tone to SALT. Wish I'd seen TAKEN now!
Anyway for what it was, it was the best vapid plot twister I've seen since DEJA VU a few years back (DENZEL WASHINGTON/ TONY SCOTT)...
Loved the plot for start to finish. Was really bamboozled by the central mystery and on a 2nd viewing I will look for clues...
*SPOILER BELOW*
Was wondring what the SUBWAY accident halfway through had to do with anything... I But it turned out to be a giant red herring... Was tring to figure out any significance but it came to nothing...Right?
Also where's AIDAN QUINN been all these years? A definite candidate for M.I.A. leading man from the 90s.... he used to be in this kind of thing all the time>!> - Report as inappropriate
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- ron said...
- Posted on Mar 15 2011 11:33 loved it crash bang wallop it is not real folks just a bit of entertainment honestly
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- ron said...
- Posted on Mar 15 2011 11:33 loved it crash bang wallop it is not real folks just a bit of entertainment honestly
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- Russell said...
- Posted on Mar 11 2011 18:42 If you take out the fact that it isn't taken despite similarly intense turn by Neeson and the same "seedy side" of a europe plagued by illegal immigrants of varying degrees of honesty and those who exploit them, then what you are left with is a fairly sold action thriller, with plenty of action, obligatory car chases, fist fights and explosions. It's not the superior hokum that Taken is but it's worth a trip out and it;s got enough to make you think it will be worth catching again when it hits the small screen even if you are never quite tempted to buy the dvd. Watch out for a nice little cameo by Langella.
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- scrumpyjack said...
- Posted on Mar 10 2011 21:33 You would have to be a fairly miserable chap not to get any enjoyment from this euro nonsense. The dingy German flats where no one ever seems to sand down their doors before repainting them and the wall paper comes in 2 colours, brown or grey cliche amused. As did some (hopefully) intentionally cruddy performances (Its not a serious film, despite the misleading poster featuring Neeson spinning round in a leather jacket with gun in hand....I can see how some mistook it for one!) so approach it in the right way and enjoy. And watch it to the end if you are going to comment, otherwise you ain't REALLY seen it, have you now! 6/10
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- fanboy3 said...
- Posted on Mar 09 2011 16:28 Bourne it ain't. Same drivel as taken
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- ARCHGATE said...
- Posted on Mar 07 2011 18:36 Mike - comments noted. ta, mate.
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- Mike said...
- Posted on Mar 07 2011 12:02 @ Archgate: Sorry, meant to say in previous review (below), consider going to see "Howl" - sadly it's not on at Cineworld, so parted with real money - not Unltd card. I thought it was great - other than NEDS, possibly the best I've seen this year.
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Cast & crew
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Cast: Liam Neeson, Diane Krüger, January Jones, Bruno Ganz
Genre(s): Thrillers
Rated: 12A
Duration: 113 mins
UK Release: Mar 4 2011
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