Unknown

Liam Neeson is on fire; seemingly, the guy can do no wrong. But I don't feel like I've really noticed him in movies before Taken, at which point, I direct myself to his filmography on IMDB and realize this guy has been on fire for a very long time. I'm not sure what the tipping point is in Hollywood that defines when stars become big, but Liam certainly seems to have hit it. I read somewhere that Unknown banked more at the box office than I Am Number Four on opening weekend, and for some reason, that surprises me. With Taken gathering a cult following, it's no surprise: when you're a fan you go see this movie hoping for Taken 2.

In that regard you may be a bit disappointed. It is not the non-stop action extravaganza the trailer promised, but it's also much better than what I thought it was going to be. Perhaps I didn't see the whole Taken 2 thing surrounding the movie, but I recall forgetting entirely about this movie after watching the trailer, and even forgetting the trailer itself.. Just the fact that I remember seeing the trailer now was like being put in the tank and delving deep into the unknown recesses of my mind and extracting it.

So the whole concept, is that Neeson's character has been replaced by somebody else: they have effectively taken over his life. His wife doesn't recognize him; the other guy has just slipped in and taken over, knowing everything he does and able to produce old family photos with Neeson replaced. I don't explain it entirely well, but after you watch the trailer you may understand better. I really thought I was seeing a science fiction piece, or at least an inkling of that in the movie, but alas, it's not to be. I won't go ahead and spoil it, as the movie is still quite fresh. It stars the striking Diane Kruger (one of my favourites) and a great role from Bruno Ganz as a retired German secret-police/cold war spy.

There is some formula involved in the movie, and it's not as gripping and involved as Taken was - what movie set in Europe isn't complete with a high speed chase through narrow streets - but it is still entertaining. It doesn't drag on and offers some decent thrills. I found the ending was a bit morally ambiguous (if you put your mind to it) and perhaps too gift-wrapped. I half expected to hear Moby's Extreme Way when the credits started rolling but alas, that would be putting too much pressure on this film to be that good. Instead, we get a pretty decent, if not standard, thriller.