The plot centers on Neeson as Dr. Martin Harris, a botanist who awakens in a hospital after the taxi in which he was riding plunges off a bridge and he discovers that his wife (January Jones) has no clue who he is and is now married to another man (Aidan Quinn) who says he is Martin. Here's the rub: It seems the guy can prove it. The rest of the film is about Martin's attempts to solve this seemingly complex mystery with the reluctant (at first) help of the cab driver: a Bosnian woman, Gina (Diane Kruger), who is living illegally in Germany and is afraid the cops will discover her. The gist of the budding relationship between the two is interesting. Martin is desperately trying to let the world know who he really is, while Gina is trying to conceal her own identity. The yin and yang of this pair is what works best about the film, along with nicely crafted performances from Neeson and Kruger.
"Taken," for all its credibility-defying scenes, was a sharp thriller that had the strong emotional underpinning of a father desperately seeking his kidnapped daughter. "Unknown" requires a lot more effort by the audience to try to comprehend what is going on between the seemingly endless chases and forced action setups. Oliver Butcher and Stephen Cornwell's script is based on the novel by Didier van Cauwelaert, which may have provided key details the film version leaves out or director Jaume Collet-Serra felt weren't necessary. This is a Joel Silver production, and we know the "Lethal Weapon" producer demands nonstop fireworks in his films, which is exactly what you get here at the expense of a lot of needed character development and motivation. It doesn't seem plausible that Martin's world could just collapse so easily, and the eventual answers are pat and not entirely satisfactory. Where's Alfred Hitchcock when you need him?
This hokum has been dressed up with a first-rate cast. In addition to Neeson—who gives the film more cachet than it deserves—and the wonderful Kruger, there is fine if rather one-dimensional work from Quinn and a compelling turn by Bruno Ganz as a former Stasi member. Frank Langella makes a late-inning appearance as Martin's "friend" and commands the screen as always, but Jones is miscast, not managing to credibly make the transition her sketchily drawn character requires.
Genre: Suspense Thriller
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Screenplay by: Oliver Butcher and Stephen Cornwell, based on the novel by Didier van Cauwelaert
Starring: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, Aidan Quinn, Bruno Ganz, Frank Langella.