Tolstoy's Bourne

Rating: 5/10 (21 February 2011)

"Unknown" is based on the French book "Out of My Head" written by Didiar van Cauwelaert. The film brings a very diverse all-star cast to the table including January Jones ("Mad Men"), Diana Kruger ("Troy", "National Treasure"), Frank Langella (Best Actor Nomination, "Frost/Nixon") and most importantly Liam Neeson ("Schindler's List", "Taken"). Neeson appeared in seven films last year ranging from "The A-Team" to "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" exemplifying his popularity and acting ability in Hollywood. Therefore, because of his vast repertoire of flicks, Liam Neeson is in very familiar territory with his newest character Dr. Martin Harris. The viewer is greeted with Harris going to a medical conference in Berlin with his wife Elizabeth Harris (January Jones), but as he is about to enter the hotel he realizes that he left one of his bags at the airport. Without telling his wife, he jumps in a cab driven by a woman named Gina (Diana Kruger) and heads back to the airport. Chaos is set free when an unavoidable car accident throws the cab off of a bridge into water below. Gina gets away injury free after saving Martin's life. However, Martin was not so lucky. After being in a coma for a few days, Martin does not remember where he is or who he is. While investigating, his wife denies knowing him, bringing up questions of conspiracy in a movie that is impossible for a viewer to figure out until the end.
Originality definitely isn't a problem for this film because of its vast ambiguity. Therefore, that aspect will not disappoint those looking for an original film. The problem is that the only other things good about the film are the performances of Diane Kruger, Frank Langella, the awkwardly enjoyable performance of Bruno Ganz (Founder of Schaubuehne Theater Company in Berlin), and Liam Neeson, who obviously led the show. The reason why Liam Neeson is an A-list actor is his ability to play very balanced roles. He always goes as far as he can with a role without overdoing it making him relevant and believable.
"Unknown" tries way too hard to be ambiguous and original therefore creating an ending that just isn't that spectacular. Too many twists and turns send the plot into completely opposite directions. The only things logical about the movie are the performances within it. Otherwise the film ends leaving numerous loose ends and meaningless plot tangents, causing a lot of things in the film to remain "unknown." Not to mention the fact that the action aspect of the film is completely forgotten, making the film boring and dull.
The movie lacks the thrill factor because of endless twists failing to be followed by fast paced, heart pounding action. Therefore, "Unknown" is "The Bourne Series" meets the lengthy, longwinded Tolstoy novel "War and Peace".