Although I had figured out the plot twist in “Unknown” from the previews, I found this action thriller, starring Liam Neeson, an engaging, satisfying romp nonetheless. And with director Jaume Collet-Serra at the helm and a supporting cast of formidable talents, including Diane Kruger, Bruno Ganz, Frank Langella, the implausibilities of the script fade into the background and you root for our hero to overcome the odds stacked against him. Neeson plays Martin Harris, a scientist who arrives in Berlin with his wife Liz (January Jones) to attend a global conference on biotechnology. While she’s checking into their hotel, Martin grabs a cab back to the airport to retrieve a briefcase he left behind. On the way, his cab is involved in an accident and Martin wakes up from a coma four days later in the hospital, suffering from memory problems. Martin’s problems increase when he discovers there’s another man claiming to be him (Aidan Quinn) and his wife doesn’t recognize him. After eluding an attempt to kill him, Martin turns to a former secret police agent, a dying old man played with great humor by the scene-stealing Ganz. Martin also enlists the reluctant help of the cabbie (Kruger) who saved him from the initial accident. There are lots of twists and red herrings as well as an Arab prince who might be the target of an assassination plot.
Neeson, always magnetic, lends credibility to his role even when he’s repeating cheesy one-liners. And Langella, in a small but crucial part as a longtime associate of Martin’s, has a memorable, suspense-filled scene with the old Stasi agent. There’s a great adrenalin-pumping car chase with Martin driving both forward and in reverse through the streets of Berlin that culminates with a crash in front of an onrushing streetcar. “Unknown” is a solid B actioner and if you like this kind of movie, you’ll enjoy this one. 2/18/11
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