Unknown | Director Jaume Collet-Serra | Score: 5.9
Now nearing 60, Liam Neeson has found a mid-career rejuvenation with a flurry of hardened action-hero roles. In such films as The Other Man and the execrable Taken he plays protagonists that are neither likable or even characters, exactly, just ruthless agents of narrative drive, stalking and sometimes attacking with cold efficiency until the stated goal (such as the humiliation of an unfaithful wife, or the a return of a daughter) is safely met. They might not stretch his craft, but they have proven to be a successful box office commodity.
Which is why one may approach his latest action thriller set in Berlin with a bit of trepidation. He plays Dr. Martin Harris, a successful biochemist just arrived in Germany with his wife, Liz (January Jones, who smiles more in the opening five minutes of this film than in four full seasons of “Mad Men”). Forgetting an important briefcase at the airport, the doctor hails a cab from the hotel and attempts to return, but a car accident leaves him bruised, battered and nearly dead in a hospital. Coming out of a coma four days later, he’s groggy and unfocussed, but hustles his way back to the hotel to reunite with his wife. Only now, she doesn’t seem to recognize him, and another man claiming to be her husband seems to share the same memories — and identification papers – as the doctor himself.
The film strives to be a kind of international Hitchcockian thriller, and, at times, especially in the film’s superior second act, with Dr. Harris stricken with paranoia and confusion about just who he is, enlisting the aid of a proud former Stasi agent (Bruno Ganz), it succeeds admirably. Director Jaume Collet-Serra skillfully creates an atmosphere of tension and suspicion, making good use of his skilled cast, especially the ever-brilliant Ganz and, later on in the proceedings, Frank Langella. Unfortunately, by the time Dr. Harris’ answers begin to come together, we’re placed more directly into yet another fanciful action formula, which is to say we’re asked to choke down larger and larger chunks of disbelief. Still, the film has its moments, and Neeson is given a chance to take his singularly driven character formula and set it at least slightly askew. It’s hardly a great movie, but at least it offers up a satisfying third of one. There are certainly worse ratios to be had.
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Piers Marchant is a Philly-based writer and editor, and the EIC (and film critic) for two.one.five magazine (215mag.com). His reviews can be found on 215mag.com and his tumblr blog, Sweet Smell of Success. You can also follow him on twitter @kafkaesque83.
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