Liam Neeson stars as Dr. Martin Harris…or is he? That’s the premise of “Unknown”.
Harris is traveling with his wife (January Jones) to Berlin for a medical conference. He forgets a bag at the airport and on his way back to get it his taxi is involved in a terrible crash.
The Dr. wakes up a few days later and he remembers who he is and what happened to him, but his wife and everyone else around him don’t recognize him or remembers him. His wife is even married to another person – also named Dr. Martin Lawrence.
Harris thinks he’s going insane so he finds the taxi driver to see is she can help him discover the truth. Once they realize that they’re being followed they know there’s a lot more going on than any of them understand.
“Unknown” is a true action-thriller. There are loads of twists and turns and a lot of things don’t make sense along the way, but by the end everything comes together. Credit goes to the writers and director Jaume Collet-Serra.
Neeson gives a terrific and very believable performance. You do really identify and care about his character because, for most of the movie, you don’t know what’s going on either. The rest of the cast is excellent as well, including Jones, Aiden Quinn (the “other” Dr. Harris) and Frank Langella. The action scenes are exciting – some go on for several minutes but never drag.
“Unknown” is rated PG-13 for the action violence and some adult situations. It’s not for young kids, but teenagers and adults will enjoy it. And try not to read anymore about it before you see it so you can fully appreciate the surprises.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Unknown” gets a B+. It one of the rare movies that has a complicated plot – but it all works and makes sense in the end. And it’s one of the year’s best films.
I was fortunate enough to see “Unknown” at the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood when I was in L.A. for Oscar week. Great theater – great movie.