Factory blues

Rating: 6/10 (13 June 2004)

Identity is about the most we can hope for from the drivel cranked out by Hollywood these days. Remake an already established property, maybe provide a slight alteration for contemporary audiences, slap on a few big names and hope the audience takes the bait, which they usually do since their dying for just about anything that's even halfway palatable. It's also, I think, the fourteenth version of Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians".
I like John Cusack a lot. Now that he's getting maybe fortyish, his face is acquiring more maturity and his overall presentation more humanity and depth. His scene where he tells the "slut" (Amanda Peet) his reason for leaving the police force is particularly compelling. Miss Peet is also good as the "screamer", the unlucky girl caught in the swill of events, and Ray Liotta does his wacko cop routine to great effectiveness. But a knockoff of Ten Little Indians is still a knockoff of Ten Little Indians, and the psychological "twist" that makes this version supposedly unique is something that you will remember for about as long as it takes to get to your car. 2 1/2 ** out of 4