Visitors Review

Saad Khan (2012-05-23 16:53)

It's not Taken but very close. Little long but the suspense was indeed Something no-one has expected!

UNKNOWN – CATCH IT ( B+ ) Unknown is pretty good attempt in revivingthe success and method of Taken. Liam Neeson has somehow stronglyemerged as an action hero thanks to immensely successful surpriseblockbuster "Taken". Unknown is also as thrilling as Taken was andfilmed in beautiful foreign locations but the only thing I didn't likepersonally was the length of the movie. The story which could have beeneasily told in 1/2hr movie was told in almost 2hrs. Anyway the suspensewas worth it though I think some of the action chase sequences wereforce just to cash on Taken. Liam Neeson was a perfect choice and trustme he has our sympathy. It's very rare to see an action hero abrilliant actor as well. So, in this case Hollywood as well as theaudience is lucky to find him. Dianne Kruger is fantastic. Here Ireally want to talk about January Jones, she was Ice-Cold (though thisis not the movie, she is playing Emma Frost). My memory of JanuaryJones's acting is very forgettable. First time I saw her in 2003 in"American (Pie 3) Wedding". And after almost 4 years she becamehousehold name in USA with her performance in critically acclaimed "MadMed" (Which I yet have to see, so can't comment how great she is in MadMen). Considerably her critical acclaim she must be brilliant on MadMen but here she was Gorgeous yet Ice-Cold or maybe she was supposed tobe like that as he role required? I'm confused. Overall, it's not Takenbut very close. Little long but the suspense was indeed somethingno-one has expected!

Titus Techera (2012-05-23 14:21)

Children of the corn

Big Agriculture hires an assassin to kill a scientist who wants to giveeverybody food for free forever so that hunger will become obsolete.The scientist is humbly called a progressive. He brings progress inthis world and science is an unmitigated good...There is an Arab sheik who pays disinterestedly for this discovery,risking his life left and right for years on end, for the sake ofmankind. He is also somewhat handsome.Then our assassin becomes so saintly that he persuades a defenselessgirl in a bad situation to risk her life for his sake for the betterpart of 90 minutes. She even kills for him, whereas he keeps his handsrather clean...The location, Berlin, is striking, but not beautiful, because we do notsee nearly enough of it...Whoever thinks this is a likely story deserves to watch it.

Ken Lee (2012-05-21 09:08)

Knowing Unknown

I liked this film because I really felt like I didn't know what was going on until Liam did. Lots of clues and who done it's in this one. Keeps you thinking, what happens next? :)

Tony Heck (2012-05-20 15:13)

Very entertaining and tense action thriller. Not quite "Taken 2" but almost as good. Liam Neesen can really kick ass. I say B+

"Do you know what it feels like to become insane Dr.? It's like a warbetween being told who you are and knowing who you are." When Dr.Martin Harris (Neeson) realizes he left his briefcase in the Berlinairport during a hotel check in he grabs a cab and heads back for it.An accident occurs and he wakes up in a hospital four days later. Whenhe finally realizes who he is he heads back to find his wife. When sheclaims to have never seen him before and meets the man that says he ishim Dr. Harris begins his quest to reveal the truth. This is the bestkind of action-thriller movie. Just when you think you have the truthfigured out a twist happens and you are left guessing again. To talkmore about the movie itself will give too much away, but I am usuallyvery good at predicting the ending to movies, but this one got me. LiamNeeson is excellent at playing parts like this and I hope he continuesto do it. The supporting cast is also excellent, as is the writing.Very entertaining movie. Not quite as fun as "Taken", but it's also adifferent kind of movie. Overall, a must see for action fans, will keepyou guessing all the way until the end. I say B+.Would I watch it again? - I absolutely would, to see if I can catchclues I missed the first time.*Also try - Memento & The Next Three Days

honyltd (2012-05-19 19:53)

Incomprehensible

Maybe I am missing something here, as clearly my impression of thisfilm is far different than its current rating would suggest. It isludicrous, at times incoherent, and only second in the personal hall ofinfamy for incredulous nonsense to the all-time worst in that category,"2012".In 2012 you had a protagonist who could escape mere building collapsesby flying through them, with the help of his wife's new husband who hadno real previous flight experience. He could outrun crevices which inreal-life move just under sonic speed on land, by driving on theneighbor's lawn.In "Unknown", a film by an unknown writer and director, with big nameleads, you have a supposed master spy who starts this whole mess of amovie by forgetting his super secret assassin spy briefcase. Is itirony or absurdity when a great actor in Frank Langella deadpans toLiam Neeson, "you were my best agent". I guess that doubt would enteranyone's mind if they left top secret plans in a briefcase you wouldn'tforget, if you were a super spy assassin, in the cart at the airport.It only gets worse from there.When is the next Jason Bourne movie? That is fiction which plays out asrealistic. "Unknown" is pure wait for cable tripe.

(2012-05-19 06:54)

Enjoyable

I just watched "Unknown" and I didn't have very high expectations after reading some of these reviews. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it though! It may have "borrowed" from a few other movies, but I can honestly say it was one of the better movies I've seen this year and I would recomend it!

ma-cortes (2012-05-18 03:00)

Nail-biting and exciting thriller stunningly directed by the Spanish director Jaume Collet -Serra

Action movie plenty of thrills , suspense , intrigue , twists and turns. It deals with a biochemist named Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) and hispretty wife (January Jones ) arrive in Berlin for a conference at whicha scientist (Sebastian Koch) and his controversial Arab funder (Hamada)will announce breakthrough research about plans to revolutionize foodproduction . After a car accident Martin awakens from a coma , only todiscover that someone has taken on his identity and that no one , noteven his wife , believes him . With the help of a young woman (DianeKruger) , he sets out to prove who he is . He confronts enemies inorder to find out location his own identity , but someone is stillafter him and is forced to take up violent means to survive , beingchased by strange pursuers . He takes the law on his own hands andacting as a desperate person . Then Martin goes to see the privatedetective, Ernst Jurgen (Bruno Ganz), a former Stasi officer who helpshim .This exciting film contains suspense , thrills , noisy action,shootouts , violent fights and plot twits . From start to final thefrantic action and fast movement is unstopped . Liam Neeson istop-notch acting as a man without identification and with gaps in hismemory . Gorgeous actresses as January Jones and Diane Kruger as a cabwoman accompany efficiently to starring . Good support cast withexcellent German actors as Bruno Ganz and Sebastian Koch , and Americanas Frank Langella and Aidan Quinn . Colorful cinematography bycameraman Flavio Martinez Labiano using Steadicam and with numerouslocations from Berlin . The musician John Ottman creates a stirring ,moving soundtrack fitting to frenetic action . Lavishly producedincluding spectacular scenes by the successful American producer JoelSilver . The flick was compellingly directed by Jaume Collet-Serra .Collet is an expert director of terror movies as ¨Orphan¨, ¨House ofwax¨ and for TV , ¨The river¨ . Rating : Better than average, wellworth seeing . The picture will appeal to explosive action fans .

(2012-05-17 13:48)

Interesting and lots of action

Unknown is one of those movies where you don't have any idea of what reality is for about half of the movie. You're along for the ride. At several points, you find yourself wondering if the main character is fooling you by presenting his own delusional reality. It isn't until people start killing each other that you accept that it's not just a game of mental chess. The second half of the show is filled with action (although don't expect as much as Taken). Overall, an enjoyable movie.

KineticSeoul (2012-05-17 14:35)

Taken 2: My Taken Identity

Well it's sort of like that and could have been a sequel although itwould have been a bit too far fetched. When walking into the theater towatch this movie, I was at least hoping a movie that is in the level ofLiam Neeson's past movie "Taken". Since the trailer to this movielooked sort of similar and all and even the main character seemed a bitsimilar. But it did not meet my expectation, and the friend I draggedto see the movie was constantly moving in his chair, checking his phoneand taking a deep breath a few times. What I wanted was a simple actionmovie that has enough flare to be worth seeing in theaters. If it waspaced a bit faster and had a bit more better action sequences andconnected better and quicker, it might have not been as boring. But thething is this movie is dull in a lot of parts, it wants to intrigue theaudience with the mystery of what is really going on but it justdoesn't really work all that well. The movie tries to focus more on theplot and mystery but it's all so darn dull most of the time and didn'treally care what happened. The execution isn't even all that clever andrelies way to much on amnesia in a very stupid manner, you will seewhen you watch the movie. Overall, it's a pretty disappointing movie.It wasn't really terrible or anything like that but it took some effortto finish it.4.5/10

Kristen (2012-05-17 00:14)

As good or better than Taken

This was a great action, mystery, drama rolled into one. Grabs and keeps your attention the entire time. If you like mysteries you will love this one! Great acting, story, visuals, and action scenes!

(2012-05-16 11:50)

Great Spy Flick

Regardless of what others said, Liam Neeson did a great job of portraying a man on a mission suffering memory loss after an accident. Who am I was the question that formed the theme of this story. It left viewers wondering if he'd ever be able to tell who was on his side or not? Where was he going to get help from and was he able to trust them ? What constitutes a friend the amount of time you have known them or if they are there for you when you need them ? I enjoyed this film.

Tom (2012-05-15 17:34)

Keeps you on your toes

Oh boy, this movie is a good one. Suspense all the way. I love movielike this where it makes you think what's going to happen next. It'skind of like trying to figure out a puzzle and you have to put thepieces together. It can be mind-boggling, but at least it keeps yourattention span.The acting is very good of course. You've got some big name actors inthis one. Liam Neeson is just one of the best and he certainly did notdisappoint. Januray Jones reminds me so much of Christina Applegate. Atfirst, I had to look her up because I thought she was ChristinaApplegate. The similarities are astounding. Almost twins separated atbirth.

J (2012-05-15 17:25)

...good movie, but I'd rent it.

This is one of those Euro thrillers and as I walked out, I really had more hope for the plot in this one. What really unfolds is.. well...a Euro-style twist. Sort of a Hollywood is not what it used to be and being creative is the name of the game. This movie has a very interesting hook to begin with, and it keeps you wanting/needing for the story, but the twist is sort of a let-down with an upside, and that upside makes this movie worth watching. Liam is a great actor and plays this sort of role as good as anyone around. There are a few fairly unrealistic car chase scenes, which seem to be in all Euro thrillers. The equation for a good Hollywood flic is simple - good guys win, guy gets the girl, the world doesn't explode, etc. In this one, this all sort-of happens, but it's very mellow.. The story could have been written better for the last 3rd of this movie.

Wesley Morris (2012-05-15 04:40)

I saw "Unknown'' with an entourage whose average age was about 70. They loved it, although one of them kept calling it "The Bond Ultimatum.'' Which sounds about right.

Charles Koplinski (2012-05-14 20:15)

Neeson muscles Unknown to Success

(2012-05-13 22:11)

You Don't Know What You Have Until It's Erased.

This review is from: Unknown (DVD) Hello All,This is another movie I had to go and see on opening day, Liam Neeson is one of my favorite actors and did he deliver another outstanding performance in this thriller, WOW. As soon as the movie started I was glued to the screen until the credits came up, that's how good the movie was. This film has it all, suspense, mystery, drama, and a little thrill all in one. I thought the entire cast worked well together; and Frank Langella was classic as an antagnoistic character. I wasn't expecting the twist near the end, which made the movie much more exciting. Who would have thought the true identity of Neeson would be that of a terrorist, I'm just glad he was able to change at the end. Another great movie in 2011; and it wasn't a superhero one either, this year we have been bombarded with superhero movies. I like those type of movies, a couple is fine, but 8 is a little 2 many, and it's just August. THX,-Kris L. CocKayne

(2012-05-13 12:19)

Bourne w/o brains

Just how did the hero learn to drive like that? How did the bad guys find the taxi driver's apartment? Our hero lacks self awareness even with the knock on the head. Bourne knew he was trained, this guy is shallow. Disappointing.

(2012-05-13 05:09)

A Well Paced thriller

This review is from: Unknown [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) Doctor Martin Harris and his wife arrive in Berlin to give a lecture at an Agriculture Conference. Arriving at the hotel where he is to give his lecture, Martin realizes he had left his brief case at the airport. Martin quickly hopes in the first taxi he sees to retrieve the brief case. On the way back to the airport Martin is involved in car accident. Martin awakens four days later with little recollection of what had happened to him. Martin heads back to the hotel to rejoin his wife to find that someone else had taken his identity. Martin now must prove who he is and unravel the mystery of what had happen and why someone has stolen his identity. Martin recruits the taxi driver that saved his life in their accident and starts to unravel a story that has many twists and turns along the way. Unknown bolts onto blu-ray with a beautiful 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer. The images are clear defined. Each pore on all the thespians is seen with distinct clearness. Each hair follicle is shown with beauty and detail. Unknown's video transfer will easily satisfy the biggest videophiles to the casual observer. Warner Brothers does a top notch five star transfer with Unknown that will in the end gratify the viewer. Equally impressive as Unknown's video quality is Unknown's audio quality. Sorting a beautiful DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround soundtrack, Unknown explodes onto blu-ray. The movie comes to life with its action scenes of car chases, one on one combat, to simple dialogue. No clouding in any scene nor is any dialogue muffled by music or drowned out by action sequences. Audiophiles will salivate as much as videophiles with this five star rating transfer. The most disappointing about Unknown is the special features or I should say lack of special features. The one I am reviewing comes with a DVD/Digital Copy disc and two small featurettes (Liam Neeson: Known Action Star and Unknown: What is Known.). There is no real difference in the featurettes as they both run four and half minutes and talk mostly about the film's star, Liam Neeson. Warner Brothers should have offered the viewer some deleted and alternate scenes and disc commentary. For the disc commentary I would have loved a director's commentary and one with the stars of the film, especially Liam Neeson and the person who plays his replacement in the film Aidan Quinn. Unknown is a well paced thriller. The main gripe both critics and patrons have of Unknown is that Unknown is not Taken 2, that is a good thing. In Taken, the plot and the story is laid out for you in the first thirty minutes of the film. For Unknown, the plot is paced throughout the movie and unlike Taken; Unknown has many twists and turns in the film. Unknown is well acted and paced phenomenally. If you go in expecting Taken, the viewer will be disappointed. If you go in with a clear mind, the viewer will be satisfied. This maybe one of those movies you need to see multiple times to appreciate the movies true value. Overall this movie is highly recommended and both the movie and disc are four star entertainment.

(2012-05-11 21:30)

mysterious and dynamic

In my opinion, Liam Neeson is a superb actor and in this film he is really amazing for his outstanding performance sided by other great artists. Also, January Kristen Jones is a very beautiful and talented actress who makes you get confused by her very real acting. You never know what's happening indeed. You go through this flick trying to figure out things like in a super puzzle. Lots of surprising things happen and you just can't take your eye off of the screen.

(2012-05-11 08:01)

Intriguing, but unoriginal and underwhelming.

Here's the problem with UNKNOWN: it has nothing new to offer. If you've seen any espionage film, you'll know the basic premise (including the "twist") from the trailer alone. This knowledge of previous story lines ruins any of the film's suspense; you know how it's going to go, and all you can do is sit there and let director Jaume Collet-Serra drive you around for a couple hours. (NOTE: I did not call this an "action" film, because there is very little action until the last two-thirds; this is not TAKEN, despite what the marketing campaign would have you believe, and if you go into it like that you will be even more disappointed than normal.)That's not to say the film is without any redeeming features (there are two stars in this review, after all). The story is trite: man loses his identity, struggles to prove he is who he says he is. Way too many plot-holes here; part of the fun in watching the film is picking all of them out. Aside from January Jones, who gives an utterly wooden performance as (maybe/maybe not) Mrs. Liam Neeson, the performances are decently solid. Neeson himself has done way, way better, but he's still a strong presence (he CAN give a bad performance, but he rarely does). Aidan Quinn, as Neeson's possible replacement, is dangerously charming--is he hiding something or isn't he? Diane Kruger is the anchor of the lead cast here; she seems to know what kind of film she's making, and decides to walk an even balance between hamming it up and keeping things serious. As for the more supporting cast, kudos to Frank Langella and Bruno Ganz, who share a tremendously understated scene together; seriously, rent the movie for this one scene alone, and watch it repeatedly. Especially for those of you wannabe actors who are curious as to how two older men can completely and thoroughly steal a movie in just five minutes.The script is predictable and the directing is inconsequential. You've seen better espionage films; this is BOURNE-lite, so lite that it's pretty much water with a little sugar added. If you go into it without any great expectations, perhaps you'll be okay; but as it is, this film is a C-grade thriller at best, passable but utterly forgettable. Aside from that great Langella/Ganz scene, everything here is recycled from previous films, and will be recycled yet again somewhere down the line.