Movie Review: Unknown
I really wanted to like this movie. I certainly enjoyed it's inspiration, the 2008 film "Taken", in all of it's Qui-Gonn-conquers-France zaniness. Liam Neeson has proven time and time again that he is in fact a badass, despite being 58 years of age. All I wanted from this movie was a little affirmation, a small reminder that Neeson can still go to any country in Europe, and whoop ass efficiently. Unfortunately, "Unknown" does not deliver.
It starts off well enough, with Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) and his wife (January Jones) on a business trip to Berlin, attending an important conference. Before they even check into the hotel, Harris gets in a car crash, and has seemingly lost portions of his memory. When he wakes up four days later, his wife doesn't seem to recognize him, and another man (Aidan Quinn) is posing as Dr. Martin Harris. Liam Neeson is then lost and confused in Berlin, and is soon on the run, with many people wanting him dead.
It's an intriguing enough premise, if not entirely original. All the trailers for this movie proudly proclaimed: "It's Taken meets The Bourne Identity". It's kind of true, at least plot-wise, but this film doesn't have one-tenth the energy or originality of either of those films. For too long, not enough seems at stake, with Neeson's predicament seeming more like a misunderstanding then anything. And the main centerpiece of the conference he's supposed to attend is the development of a new strain of corn. How exciting! The plot developments with a man from Harris' past (Frank Langella) bring the movie past the point of redemption. And Langella, with his fedora and calm demeanor, looks like he was plucked straight out of "The Adjustment Bureau".
I would be willing to forgive this film of plot shortcomings, if it at least had some decent action. But no! Liam Neeson has maybe two or three fight scenes throughout the entire film, and there's one car chase thrown in for good measure. Other than that, it's just Neeson confusedly walking around a bleak and dreary Berlin, with that gray color palette of "Taken", "The Adjustment Bureau", and "Inception" that makes you wonder why it's even in color at all.
The movie is capped off by one of the worst, most awkwardly-delivered lines of dialogue in recent memory. A battle weary Liam Neeson, having just been nearly wiped out by a large piece of falling debris, defiantly utters to his opponent: "I may not remember everything- but I still remember how to kill you, asshole!" It's not even clever, and is delivered so badly I'm sure Schwarzenegger himself would shake his head in embarrassment. If you're looking for a good Liam Neeson action movie, just watch "Taken" again.
It starts off well enough, with Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) and his wife (January Jones) on a business trip to Berlin, attending an important conference. Before they even check into the hotel, Harris gets in a car crash, and has seemingly lost portions of his memory. When he wakes up four days later, his wife doesn't seem to recognize him, and another man (Aidan Quinn) is posing as Dr. Martin Harris. Liam Neeson is then lost and confused in Berlin, and is soon on the run, with many people wanting him dead.
It's an intriguing enough premise, if not entirely original. All the trailers for this movie proudly proclaimed: "It's Taken meets The Bourne Identity". It's kind of true, at least plot-wise, but this film doesn't have one-tenth the energy or originality of either of those films. For too long, not enough seems at stake, with Neeson's predicament seeming more like a misunderstanding then anything. And the main centerpiece of the conference he's supposed to attend is the development of a new strain of corn. How exciting! The plot developments with a man from Harris' past (Frank Langella) bring the movie past the point of redemption. And Langella, with his fedora and calm demeanor, looks like he was plucked straight out of "The Adjustment Bureau".
I would be willing to forgive this film of plot shortcomings, if it at least had some decent action. But no! Liam Neeson has maybe two or three fight scenes throughout the entire film, and there's one car chase thrown in for good measure. Other than that, it's just Neeson confusedly walking around a bleak and dreary Berlin, with that gray color palette of "Taken", "The Adjustment Bureau", and "Inception" that makes you wonder why it's even in color at all.
The movie is capped off by one of the worst, most awkwardly-delivered lines of dialogue in recent memory. A battle weary Liam Neeson, having just been nearly wiped out by a large piece of falling debris, defiantly utters to his opponent: "I may not remember everything- but I still remember how to kill you, asshole!" It's not even clever, and is delivered so badly I'm sure Schwarzenegger himself would shake his head in embarrassment. If you're looking for a good Liam Neeson action movie, just watch "Taken" again.
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