Who'll stop the rain ?

Rating: 7/10 (23 September 2003)

Every week, I read two movie magazines. When it comes to new movies, they mostly agree in their reviews. Except for Identity! One magazine said it was really good and filled with pleasant surprises. The other one said it was dull and rather predictable. This really meant I HAD to see this one. I finally did now and I must say I tend to agree with both my magazines. It sure had its predictable moments but that didn't spoil the fun for me. And it's one of the best ensemble casts I've ever seen.
SPOILERS MAY APPEAR FROM HERE!!!! WATCH OUT WHAT YOU READ !!!
Now, this is hard to explain but Identity is predictable while it's surprising. The whole "motel-mystery" has its flaws and it's overall predictable indeed. But inside this story, there are still a few pleasant surprises to discover. SUPER SPOILERS HERE!!! Come on, of all people who claim they saw right through the plot...who can honestly say they suspected Ray Liotta to be an escaped villain ?? Or that Larry wasn't the real motel owner ?? END SUPER SPOILERS ! ( still small spoilers, though ) All people who claimed they fully figured this movie out after half an hour are lying. Even if they did have a good idea about the motel thing ( as did I, by the way ), I suspect they were still stunned by the whole wraparound story. You have to be pretty psycho yourself if you understood this from the beginning. So, in general, a very good story and a nice change in the average supernatural thrillers we get nowadays. END SPOILERS !!!
Now for my favorite part of Identity. The flawless cast. Allow me to start with the side characters which were still played by known and very decent actors. John C. McGinley for example. Ever since Platoon and Wall Street I thought this guy was a very good actor but he never seemed to broke through. That's a shame because he truely is underrated. Clea DuVall is also in this movie. Whatever happened to her? I really thought she would become a great actress real soon but she still has to be satisfied with smaller roles. She isn't really cute but she's a damn good actress. One of the best in her young generation. Jake Busey is always a pleasure to watch. He sort of repeats the role he had in the Frighteners and this fits him very well. The leading actors are just great. Ray Liotta has always been a favorite of mine he proved again that he is worth this status. Never a bad word about John Cusack neither. He's outstanding as usual. In fact, I think it's his third best role next to Pushing Tin and Grosse Point Blank. I enjoyed Con Air as well, but I hope he never tries to be an action hero again. Intelligent comedies or psychological stories fit him better, in my opinion. I don't really care for Amanda Peet, but I guess she did a good job. At least, she was less annoying than in The Whole Nine Yards.
The whole setting reminded me of Alfred Hitchkock's masterpiece PSYCHO. Only this manager is more funny than Norman Bates. Psycho proved that it's possible to create a unique atmosphere in an abandoned motel but furthermore there are few relations between these two movies. The constant rain contributes as well to this great setting. Well made, more than enough suspense, great acting and tones of creepy sequences. That's really all I can say about it. Oh, I can say I fully figured out the Sixth Sense when I first saw that one but NOT Identity...I guess that's a good sign.