Unfortunately Brought Down By A Rubbish Ending

Rating: Null/10 (30 October 2003)

Like a cross between Hitchcock's "Psycho" and Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None", "Identity" starts out brilliantly as a chilling, atmospheric and highly unnerving psychological thriller.
The acting (mainly Ray Liotta and John Cusack) is superb, while Mangold deserves kudos for building up the tension through atmosphere, rather than just release the bucket of SFX blood and gore that has become the staple ingredient of modern horror movies.
However, there is one unfortunate flaw in the story, and that is the very last minute. The first twist, when you find out what's going on, is fitting, albeit not entirely unexpected. But why in the world would a director want to ruin a little gem of a movie by adding a superfluous (and, frankly, stupid) second twist right at the end is beyond me. If Mangold had had any sense, he would have left that tiny part on the cutting-room floor, or never actually shot it in the first place. A shame, really, because it very nearly ruins what could have been one of the best films of the year.
Rating: **** (out of five)