A very chilling thrill ride!

Rating: 8/10 (27 April 2003)

Having never really been a fan of the horror genre, upon first hearing of `Identity,' it seemed easy to dismiss. However, it wasn't easy to dismiss the cast: John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, and Alfred Molina. Although these actors haven't always chosen the best screen stories, they are still respectable and for the most part a good bet when casting for a movie.
After seeing `Identity,' the only conclusion that one could come to was that this film, although grizzly, was not really a horror film. In fact, to call it a horror film is disgraceful considering most horror flicks are just cheap, rehashed slasher movies that are geared for the teenyboppers. What separates `Identity' in terms of scary films is the mystery that surrounds it. An interesting story, and ultimately a mind-bender, `Identity' proves itself to be a very chilling thrill ride. `Identity' tells the story of ten people who are stranded at a motel during a powerful thunderstorm that has flooded most of the roads in the region. However, during their night at the motel, people start dying. Everyone is suspect and everyone is also innocent, as the killer is remote to the strangers. The killings seem to be ritualistic in that whoever the killer is, his or her signature card is a key tag for the rooms of the motel. In other words, as the murderer does the job, he or she counts down with every dead body, starting from ten. The events all lead to an ending that is as shocking as the murders themselves. At first, the film feels reminiscent of Hitchcock's `Psycho,' in that the events take place at a highway motel during a storm. That may have been some of the inspiration of horror screenwriter, Michael Cooney, whose credits include `Jack Frost,' (not to be confused with the Michael Keaton family film), and `Tracks Of A Killer.' James Mangold directed `Identity.' His work includes such films as the 2001 almost romantic comedy, `Kate & Leopold,' which starred the over-used, romantic comedy star Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman. Mangold also directed the critically successful film, `Girl, Interrupted,' which starred Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder. His direction here is good and he tries to incorporate a bit of chill in the cinematography by occasionally throwing in a still image to throw the audience off. The technique is not all that impressive but kudos should to be granted for his trying.
One scene in particular was somewhat spooky. The power goes out at the motel and while Liotta's character is outside, he slowly comes around the side of the motel. While lightening flashes and the rain beads off his face, the impression that it gives the audience is that he's doesn't have a chance of surviving the night and he's already dead. Performances in `Identity' were good. Cusack plays Ed, a retired cop, now limousine driver. He, along with supposed cop, Rhodes, played by Liotta, try to take control of the events taking place by continually searching the motel for answers of who the killer is. Peet, the gorgeous actress of such films as `The Whole Nine Yards,' and `Whipped,' plays Paris, a hooker trying to turn her life around. Molina, the star of last year's `Frida,' plays a psychiatrist bent on finding out what happened during the night at the motel. Other stars of the film include John Hawkes (`The Perfect Storm'), John C. McGinley (`Office Space'), Rebecca De Mornay (`Backdraft'), Clea DuVall (`The Faculty'), Jake Busey (`Contact'), and William Lee Scott (`October Sky'). All in all, `Identity' affirms itself as an absorbing show that plays with our fears and with our minds. ***