Enjoyable thriller

Rating: 7/10 (18 June 2011)

Dr. Martin Harris is in Berlin with his wife attending a biochemistry conference. Unfortunately Dr. Martin gets into a little car accident and goes over a bridge. Four days later he wakes up from a coma, and when he attempts to get back to his life, he discovers two things; a) someone has stolen his identity, along with his wife and b) someone in town wants him dead.
Even with a plot that feels progressively routine as the film plays out, Unknown deserves credit as a thriller that thrills. It's not a deep film, but it's not necessarily a shallow one either. It never feels too quick or too slow, and while it does a few very silly things, it maintains coherency and focus.
Liam Neeson, though very much a coming of age actor, feels quite at home in Unknown. This is the kind of lead role that is usually better suited to younger actors, But Neeson hits all the right notes and shows no lack of energy, (although I suppose he is a little slow to get started).
Director Jaume Collet Serra is young in his career, but he handles Unknown with a sense of experience. This is demonstrated in the way something like a car chase through the streets of Berlin at night can maintain visual coherency and avoid an unnecessary sense of spectacle.
As a thriller, it should not be surprising for anyone going into Unknown that the story comes with a big climactic twist. And while it is quite absurd to be sure, it does (in an ironic way) make a couple other bits of the film seem a little less absurd. If I were to elaborate I might spoil something.
Unknown may have been a Winter release, but that doesn't make it unworthy of investment. Flawed though it can be, I'd say it's recommendable to those who indulge in the genre.