Every Aspect Works

Rating: 9/10 (30 May 2012)

The Plot = Ten strangers get stranded at a motel in the middle of nowhere, start to get picked off one by one by a mysterious killer, but why and what is they're connection.
"Identity" came out at a time just when the second slasher boom was coming to end and just before the remake reboot era. Identity was one thriller that managed to surprise me greatly, as it turned out to be a brilliant psychological slasher with a powerful cast, obviously borrowed heavily from "And Then There Were None", well I say the plot, but other than that this movie well and truly stands on its own. It may not be gory which is what doesn't make this movie a straight up slasher, but it is violent and brutal keeping it more towards the horror aspect. Another factor is what I liked is that I well and truly wanted to know why these people were getting murdered and they're separate story lines also kept me interested and this movie is full of surprises and even adds a mind screwing twist that for any first time viewer will never figure out, making it well and truly amazing and original. I mean the twist was just genius and a well and truly talking point.
There is nothing bad I can say about this movie, the whodunit element was also done well and even had me shocked and surprised, The use of room keys as corpse markers is a great lead up for suspense. It's always edge-of-your-seat drama as red herrings are picked off, and the collection of people start to learn things about each other that make them all connected in some way, all of which makes the directing by James Mangold slick from beginning to end, with an effective and cleaver set up.
Off all the slasher movies I have seen, very few have gathered such a diverse and memorable cast as this. First we get former cop now limo driver John Cusack (Ed) giving a real intense performance as one the male leads, as the movie progresses he becomes more and more interesting and captivating. Ray Liotta (Rhodes) plays it cool as the cop but at the same time quite charming and creepy at the same time, he nailed the part and stealing the show in almost every scene, his chemistry with John Cusack was a real highlight. Amanda Peet (Paris) played the hooker and tart with a heart really well as the unlikely but obvious final girl. Clea Duvall proved competent in role as one half of the young married couple, although I did find her constant whining pretty annoying at times. Rebecca De Mornay gives a stand out performance as the faded actress and early victim, she should have been given more screen time. John C McGingley gave a credible and strong performance as the socially awkward family man George. Jake Busey played the psychotic prisoner and obvious red herring really well and John Hawkes played the motel manager Larry brilliantly and hits all the right notes.
All in all "Identity" is an effective horror through and through with a brilliant and perfectly played cast, an awesome story line and effective who done it plot which will keep you guessing until the end and a mind boggling twist that will blow your mind completely out of the water.