Rating: PG-13
Starring:
Liam Neeson as Dr. Martin Harris
Diane Kruger as Gina
January Jones as Elizabeth Harris
Aidan Quinn as Martin B.
Bruno Ganz as Ernst Jürgen
Frank Langella as Rodney Cole
Sebastian Koch as Professor Bressler
Olivier Schneider as Smith
Stipe Erceg as Jones
Rainer Bock as Herr Strauss
Mido Hamada as Prince Shada
Clint Dyer as Biko
Karl Markovics as Dr. Farge
Eva Löbau as Nurse Gretchen
Helen Wiebensohn as Laurel Bressler
Merle Wiebensohn as Lily Bressler
Directed by Jaume Collet-Sera
Special Features:
Liam Neeson: Known Action Hero – Discover how the star of Unknown solidifies his action star status
Unknown: What Is Known? – Investigate the characters and plot of this international thriller
Digital Copy Of Feature Film
Other Info:
Widescreen (2.40:1)
DTS-HD MA 5.1 Sound
French and Spanish Languages
French and Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 113 Minutes
The Details:
The following is the official description of the film:
“The star of ‘Taken’ and ‘The A-Team’ jumps back into action with brute force! Liam Neeson plays Dr. Martin Harris, who awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that his wife (January Jones) suddenly doesnt recognize him and another man (Aidan Quinn) has assumed his identity. Ignored by disbelieving authorities and hunted by mysterious assassins, he finds himself alone, tired and on the run. Aided by an unlikely ally (Diane Kruger), Harris plunges into a deadly mystery forcing him to question his sanity, his identity and just how far hes willing to go to uncover the truth.”
“Unknown” is PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence and action, and brief sexual content.
Mini-Review:
To say “Unknown” is similar to “The Bourne Identity” is a big understatement. They’re very, very similar. Both films feature a character with amnesia being pursued by highly trained killers. Both films feature European locations. Both films have….well, I don’t want to get into spoilers. Suffice it to say that if you watch “Unknown,” you’ll feel like you’ve seen it before. It’s one part “Frantic” and two parts “The Bourne Identity.”
All that being said, if anyone can get you to watch a clone of “The Bourne Identity,” then it’s Liam Neeson. He continues his thriller career with “Unknown” and sells it for all he’s worth. And he does a pretty good job of it. Even when you start to think you’ve got the plot figured out, you’re still willing to follow Neeson for the ride. He handles the drama and action equally well. He’s well supported by Diane Kruger, Frank Langella, and Bruno Ganz. January Jones has taken a lot of heat recently for a ‘wooden’ performance in “X-Men: First Class.” While I didn’t see it there, I have to say she is pretty dull in “Unknown,” especially alongside the likes of Neeson.
If you’re wanting to see some great action scenes or if you’re a fan of Liam Neeson, then you’ll want to check out “Unknown.” It’s not his best film, but it is entertaining.
There are only two short bonus features on this Blu-ray and they’re both ‘making of’ featurettes. Most interesting among them is Neeson recounting a story of being a boxer and getting knocked out during a match. He couldn’t remember about 4 minutes of his memory and it prompted him to give up boxing. It also served as inspiration for his role in “Unknown.”
