"Ten Little Indians" meets "Se7en" via "The Usual Suspects"

Rating: Null/10 (28 April 2003)

IDENTITY (2003) *** 1/2 John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet,,Clea Du Vall, Rebecca De Mornay, John C. McGinley, John Hawkes, Jake Busey, Alfred Molina, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Leila Kenzle, Bret Loehr. Absorbing, mind-twisting thriller about a group of strangers stranded at a roadside ramshackle motel during a torrential rainstorm where they are systematically being killed off by an unknown source of terror. A fine cast particularly Cusack as an ex-cop/chauffeur who more-or-less takes over the investigation of another law enforcement agent (Liotta, equally good) and Peet as a no-nonsense yet vulnerable prostitute. Clever script by Michael Cooney keeps the guessing game going until its surprise unfoldings thanks to smart direction by James Mangold. One of the year's best films.