Liam Neeson’s “Unknown” is a solid popcorn movie. Just shovel in the intrigue by the handful, and don’t look too hard at its undercooked kernels. The decently acted, well directed star vehicle holds your attention for just long enough to get you through a jumbo bucket. All the crunchy-munching will distract your brain from a dubious story line, which is based on that old soap opera saw: amnesia. Neeson plays an absentminded professor — literally — who gets in a car accident in Berlin that messes up his memory and seems to make his wife (“Mad Men’s” January Jones) forget who he is too. A grandiose plot of international spies, assassination conspiracy and hunger-solving biotechnology ensues before the identity mystery is solved. When it is, as a result of a twist so out of the blue that it inflicts logic whiplash, the answers are less gratifying than the ride it took to get them.
| Movie Review |
| ‘Unknown’ 3 out of 5 Stars |
| Stars: Liam Neeson, January Jones, Aidan Quinn |
| Director: Jaume Collet-Serra |
| Rated: PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence and action, and brief sexual content |
| Running time: 109 minutes |
I won’t reveal many more story details. It would ruin the movie for those who will be straining to suspend disbelief while the excitement escalates during the last act.
Based on the novel “Out of My Head” by Didier van Cauwelaert and adapted by screenwriters Oliver Butcher and Steve Cornwell, “Unknown” hopes to create an air of disorientation that reflects the protagonist’s state of mind as he tries to figure out why no one recognizes him. Director Jaume Collet-Serra (2009’s “Orphan”) harnesses a cast superior to the script and choreographs several action sequences for them. Hand-to-hand combat, foot and car chases, and 11th-hour rescues unfold predictably but are nevertheless fun to watch.
Neeson’s still imposing silver screen presence elevates the genre piece, even though his character demands little thespian nuance. The movie only requires Neeson to look confused and kick butt, though he’s capable of much more.
Neeson is strongly supported by “Inglourious Basterds’ ” Diane Kruger and great veterans Aidan Quinn, Bruno Ganz and Frank Langella.
