great plot, executed well, with a twist

Rating: 9/10 (13 March 2006)

There are very few intelligent, scary/suspenseful movies made in Hollywood. Identity, however, is one of them. Is it perfect? No: Identity follows the formula of recent thrillers (Sixth Sense, Hide and Seek, etc.) where there is a slow build-up, sprinkled with suspenseful moments, to a revelatory climax. Some of the writing is hokey and clumsy at times and the characters can be cartoon-like and one-dimensional (Liotta and Hawkes). But I either overlooked that or simply embraced it and enjoyed it. So it's not an indie film or a foreign film (you decide if that's good or bad). But it is a somewhat different, and surprisingly well-made Hollywood film. Identity was entertaining, thought-provoking, scary, suspenseful, and funny. What else do you want?