Neeson, the old action hero
By Christy Lemire |
March 6, 2011, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A few years ago, Liam Neeson starred as a former CIA agent in "Taken," searching for his kidnapped daughter and kicking as much butt as necessary to find her.
Now, he's continuing this fascinating late-career path, remaining in action-star mode as he creeps close to 60, in "Unknown." It's a chilly little thriller about amnesia, mistrust and lost identity, with the kinds of chases and explosions you've seen countless times before. Nothing and no one is what it seems, which makes the unpredictability somewhat more predictable.
Still, Neeson's always-intelligent screen presence, his nuance and gravitas, help elevate "Unknown" beyond its preposterous elements. And he gets great help from a classy supporting cast, including Frank Langella, Bruno Ganz and Sebastian Koch.
And, to be fair, the film from Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra has its suspenseful moments, including the startling, precisely staged car accident that sends Neeson's character, botanist Dr Martin Harris, on his dangerous journey.
Harris has traveled to Berlin with his beautiful wife, Elizabeth (January Jones), but while taking a cab ride he is involved in a crash. The driver (Diane Kruger) saves his life, then runs off.
Four days later Harris wakes from a coma with only vague memories of who he is. When he goes to find his wife not only does she insist she has no idea who he is, she's also there with an entirely different man (Aidan Quinn) who says he's Dr Martin Harris - and he has the passport to prove it.
From here, Harris goes on a quest to piece together what happened by first seeking out the cab driver. Together they evade attacks from the mysterious people who are out to get them, while he discovers all kinds of useful skills he never knew he had. And as "Unknown" reveals itself, you may discover that it reminds you of another, superior movie - one that we will not name here for fear of giving away the twist. But Collet-Serra makes the story move with enough style and energy that you also may not care.
Now, he's continuing this fascinating late-career path, remaining in action-star mode as he creeps close to 60, in "Unknown." It's a chilly little thriller about amnesia, mistrust and lost identity, with the kinds of chases and explosions you've seen countless times before. Nothing and no one is what it seems, which makes the unpredictability somewhat more predictable.
Still, Neeson's always-intelligent screen presence, his nuance and gravitas, help elevate "Unknown" beyond its preposterous elements. And he gets great help from a classy supporting cast, including Frank Langella, Bruno Ganz and Sebastian Koch.
And, to be fair, the film from Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra has its suspenseful moments, including the startling, precisely staged car accident that sends Neeson's character, botanist Dr Martin Harris, on his dangerous journey.
Harris has traveled to Berlin with his beautiful wife, Elizabeth (January Jones), but while taking a cab ride he is involved in a crash. The driver (Diane Kruger) saves his life, then runs off.
Four days later Harris wakes from a coma with only vague memories of who he is. When he goes to find his wife not only does she insist she has no idea who he is, she's also there with an entirely different man (Aidan Quinn) who says he's Dr Martin Harris - and he has the passport to prove it.
From here, Harris goes on a quest to piece together what happened by first seeking out the cab driver. Together they evade attacks from the mysterious people who are out to get them, while he discovers all kinds of useful skills he never knew he had. And as "Unknown" reveals itself, you may discover that it reminds you of another, superior movie - one that we will not name here for fear of giving away the twist. But Collet-Serra makes the story move with enough style and energy that you also may not care.
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