Liam Neeson rocks!

Rating: 7/10 (26 February 2011)

Not all actors need muscles to prove how tough they really are. Sometimes, all it takes is focused energy and sincerity in becoming the character. Something that Liam Neeson has done exceedingly well in recent years while being Ra's Al Ghul in 'Batman Begins' and the unstoppable father in 'Taken'. Neeson can be the calm scholarly husband at one point of time and then transition into this clueless, passive-aggressive maniac at another. 'Unknown' is familiar territory for him after his role in 'Taken' while a different familiarity is felt by the audience as they correlate the happenings to those in the Jason Bourne series.
As Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) lands at Berlin airport with his stunning wife Elizabeth (January Jones... mmmmm....), a creepy chill sets upon the already icy streets of the city and as soon as they arrive at their hotel, Dr. Harris realizes that his suitcase is left behind at the airport. The frantic taxi ride to retrieve the baggage ends in the river after a freak accident and upon his return to the hotel after 4 days in coma, Elizabeth not only refuses to recognize him but acknowledges her marriage to an imposter. Is the other Dr. Martin Harris, the real one or is he subject to identity theft that could be a part of a larger scheme? Aided by the skills and knowledge of an old Stasi agent and the taxi driver who saved his life, Martin unravels the bigger plot and for a while, turns into the unstoppable maniac that we came to watch the movie for.
The characters are beautifully sketched. We easily sympathize with Gina (Diane Kruger) the taxi driver, for the trauma she endures while Martin seeks to unravel the truth behind his identity. Such is her absorption into the character. January Jones as Elizabeth Harris, does enough to woo audiences by simply standing in her long winter coat while Aidan Quinn is excellent in his cold persona of the other Martin Harris. The most significant, though undermined in screen presence, are the characters of Bruno Ganz and Frank Langella. While playing the former Stasi agent, Swiss actor Bruno Ganz seems so credible, that he is a sub- plot by himself! His confrontation with Rodney Cole (Frank Langella), an associate/friend of Martin's is certainly the most chilling, overpowering scene in the movie. The duo take coldness to another level. Liam Neeson does not look at ease in his role as the amnesic Martin Harris and that is the very beauty of his performance. He seems so weary and lost that we want to empathize with him and perhaps give him clues to get out of his mess and in the end, just get out of his way as he finds himself. Liam Neeson does not need guns, knives or even martial arts. Without even screaming, he sends shivers down the opponent's spine with a bare fist. Portraying such a transition from a well composed, stoic character is Liam Neeson's true strength and 'Unknown' gives him enough room to stretch his kicks... errrr... legs.
Director Jaume Collet-Serra did not begin with an outstanding plot. You get much of it from the previews itself. Nor does he capitalize on the surprise elements within the plot to deliver the punch that we were expecting but rather, he chooses to do so with simplicity, often times combined with coldness (Ganz-Langella scenes) and lets our minds relax. Perhaps the resemblance to 'Bourne Identity' weighs down too heavily on regular audiences to engage into the director's craftsmanship and therefore, they simply sit back and fill up mouthfulls of popcorn with each punch that Liam Neeson delivers. Afterall, that's what 'Unknown' invited them to.....
7.341 on a scale of 1-10.