Review: Unknown Is An Enjoyable, If Unoriginal, Thriller
- Jan 5, 2018
- 2 min read
Memento, The Bourne Identity, Shutter Island, the list goes on. Memory loss is nothing new to cinema, thus much of it is pretty bland. But Liam Neeson doesn’t do bland (Taken sequels aside).
Following a traffic accident, Dr Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) falls into a coma. We wakes, four days later, unable to remember more than the events leading to the accident, along with a few fractured moments. Thus he searches for his wife, trying to put the pieces back together, while uncovering a darker past and a confusing present.
Unknown is, pun intended, somewhat forgettable. Which isn’t to say it’s bad, only that it doesn’t do a whole lot to remind you that it exists. The film is perfectly enjoyable for the duration of its runtime, and there’s never a dull moment, but it is very much the same as all the others. Aside from a well executed late game twist, though even this isn’t 100% safe, a lot of the film is predictable. Again, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and the action and thrills more than make up for this, but it is something of a let down.
Neeson has his usual level of gravitas combine with that trademark grit that he makes work regardless of role or situation. Bruno Ganz, perhaps my favourite actor, has a small but well acted role, one that leaves an impact. The whole film can be summed up by it’s final action set-piece. Fun but derivative, and that’s okay.
Unknown isn’t the kind of movie you need to rush off and track down, in fact, if you never see it, you probably won’t regret it. But if you want something exciting, if you want your thrills coming thick and fast, it’ll deliver on almost every level.
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