A film that gives more than what the trailer promised

Rating: 8/10 (14 April 2011)

Without spoiling too much, I originally thought that any surprises to be found in Unknown were ruined having viewed the trailer and that I had figured the film out. Only to my surprise that I was wrong and that Unknown is a thrilling action film that never looses its pacing. The plot quickly develops over the 2 hour running time and will leave the viewer satisfied.
It is easy to compare the film at first to Taken, another film staring Liam Neeson but once it starts, the film is very different. Whether Unknown is better or not is debatable but Liam Neeson succeeds in giving us another fine performance in a career of many.
Other stars include January Jones from Mad Men who is good but felt underused. Diane Kruger is clearly immersed into her role as an illegal immigrant in Berlin caught up in the films story and Bruno Ganz is fantastic as a former secret police officer trying to make sense of what has happened to Liam Neeson's character, Martin Harris.
What makes this film so good is that is wastes no time in setting the up the film and each scene gives something new to the film rather than taking away. There is never a dull moment because the story is always moving and we, the audience are put in the position of Liam Neeson, immersing the audience into the story. The film is not deep but it is neither dumb, the script is great and we feel for the character's frustration as he is not coming up with any useful answers.
Despite what some may consider a relatively low budget when compared to other action films (The Bourne film, James Bond), Unknown manages to pull off some gripping action sequences and chases but it is through the director's ability to tell a story that makes scenes that just involve dialogue to be as exciting as the action sequences themselves.
I strongly recommend anyone to see Unknown because you will enjoy it. With many films coming out receiving mixed reviews, this is a film to fall back on where the pacing is perfect and the tension is set to maximum. Hopefully Liam Neeson's next action film will be as good as this to wash away Wrath of the Titans after it has come out.