Effective and enjoyable thriller that unfortunately left me slightly disapointed, rather than satisfied towards the end

Rating: 8/10 (12 June 2003)

I will say that Identity, as a thriller, works. It is one of the few horror films, like The Ring, to have come out recently that is unique, and ultimately terrifying at times. As practically everyone has commented on, there is a wonderful ensemble cast in this picture, and practically every character is unique and entertaining to watch. The film's atmosphere is very creepy and well done...definitely one of the film's assets is the constant rain storm and darkness outside. The film is multilayered, like your favorite Tarantino outing, and is interwoven pretty good throughout most of the film.
Now, if you read my one line summary, you saw that I said that it is also slightly disapointing, well, I'm getting to that. The film does score marks on a bunch of plot twists, some of which were unpredictable, others were predictable in the sense that you knew something was off, but didn't know what. I will also say that the use of the film's MANY red herrings really threw me off for a change...most movies I have seen that attempt to do this, fail miserably. So, after hearing all of this, you'd think that this is a
really good movie overall...don't get me wrong, it is definitely good, enjoyable, and exciting. However, my disapointment comes from one of the plot twists towards the end.
***MINOR SPOILERS (Don't worry, nothing major is given away)***

Though the film is multilayered, this is also one of its downfalls. From the get go, we hear a recording of a psychiatrist talking to someone who has murdered 6 people in an apartment. I won't say what, but what was said on the recording gives WAY too much away...this did not detract from my enjoying the first hour of the film, but I was disapointed in that I knew from the first few frames a little too much information about the killer. And, my BIGGEST complaint is the unraveling of the film's main plot twist a whole 20 minutes or so before the flim's ending...I won't say what it is, but once you see what it is, and ultimately, realize what is going on, you suddenly won't care at all for the safety of the remaining people at the motel, their fight to survive suddenly becomes a means to and end. I'll admit, it was a good twist, but to me, it totally killed the suspense and mystery for the remainder of the film. The rest of the film, though well done, however, I felt was disapointing after knowing exactly what 'Identity' means as the film's title, and the reality of the situation way too early on. If the filmmakers hadn't revealed the premonition of one of the characters so early, it would have been a lot more suspenseful. Then again, with the way the ending was written, perhaps that was the only way to have filmed it...at any rate, I will say that I liked the very very last twist at the end, it totally had me surprised...though not as shocked as I would have liked to be, considering my interest investment in the film had died 20 minutes earlier, it is still unexpected.
***END OF MINOR SPOILERS***
All in all, not a bad movie. I'm not sure if it's one worthy of multiple viewings, but definitely one of the better horror movies of recent years. It has great acting, creepy atmosphere, and a good plot to keep it running...but don't let my disapointments turn you off from seeing it, as I've read on the message boards, people have reacted very differently to this movie. That's my 2 cents. 8/10 stars.