It mostly works...

Rating: 8/10 (27 July 2004)

Identity is a hard film to describe without giving the story away. In fact, every little second of screentime is important to the story, so talking about events is a difficult thing to do without giving away too much. I will try to discuss it in general point form, but if you haven't seen it already, consider yourself advised. Even describing the setup without ruining a surprise is a tough ask.
The cast assembled at the hotel is exceptionally strong together, and they give the film all of its impact. John Cusack in particular arrests the viewer and gives them someone to get behind. Amanda Peet turns in a rare performance that I don't hate her in. Ray Liotta makes the plot twist of his character work like only a true professional can do. By the time the film reveals why he's constantly yelling and screaming at everyone who dares to disagree with him, he really manages to get under the viewer's skin.
The real surprise in this cast, however, is Jake Busey, who does the Obnoxiously Ugly Contingent Of Hollywood proud. During his screentime, his mannerisms and delivery really sell him as a serial killer. If the viewer isn't afraid of the big unknown that the film sets up, they will definitely be afraid of Jake. The guy is big and authoriative enough to sell the character in spite of so little being known about him. But then, we know very little about any character here, even after they try to explain themselves.
As various events conspire to bring the principal cast to a simple hotel that appears to be in the middle of nowhere, we slowly get a feeling something is not quite right here. Soon after everyone arrives, one of the guests is killed, and a keychain found not far from their corpse. The keychain corresponds to the number of the room she is situated in, and so the game begins. Most of the people in the hotel share a room with somebody, but the keychain links things together in a way that is subtle and obvious at the same time.
Where the film lapses is the ending. Not only does it feel too abrupt, it has little, if any, lead-in or hint, making it feel as though it was thrown in for the sole purpose of closing the film. Sometimes this isn't so bad, but considering the standard set by the rest of the film, it is a big disappointment. Still, the film entertains for ninety minutes, and that's certainly more than a lot of recent films seem to feel we have a right to ask.