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Review #321 of 365
Movie Review of Unknown (2006) [NR] 98 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $11.25
Where Viewed: Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 28 November 2006
Time: 7:45 p.m.
DVD Release Date: 20 November 2007 (click date to purchase or pre-order)
Directed by: Simon Brand
Written by: Matthew Waynee (Yellow Hammer)
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
James Caviezel (Déjà Vu) • Greg Kinnear (Fast Food Nation) • Bridget Moynahan (Lord of War) • Joe Pantoliano (Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector) • Barry Pepper (Flags of Our Fathers) • Jeremy Sisto ("Kidnapped") • Peter Stormare (Nacho Libre) • Chris Mulkey (Mysterious Skin) • Clayne Crawford ("Jericho") • David Selby (D3: The Mighty Ducks)
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
This unheralded little film borrows unabashedly from Reservoir Dogs and Memento while never even coming close to either in skill or story. Worst of all, there is a very wicked little twist at the end that some might argue is the pinnacle of the film, but it washes away quickly in the rolling credits as if to say, "Gotcha good, but no need to rub it in or make sure that what you just saw was right." The story is billed as happening in reverse order which is hardly the case. Rather it unfolds in real time forward with flashbacks revealing earlier events.
"…not a bad film, it just lacked ingredients and a freshness that would have made it a pretty good film."
It begins with Jean Jacket (James Caviezel) awaking and gasping for fresh air on the floor of an abandoned chemical warehouse. As he gets his bearings and starts to recover from a deep, chemically-induced slumber, he starts to notice that he is not alone. There's a guy bound to a chair (Joe Pantoliano), another handcuffed to a railing (Jeremy Sisto), and a third on the floor with a broken nose in a pool of his own blood (Greg Kinnear). Everyone looks to be dead. He scouts the building and finds himself trapped in what amounts to be a virtual fortress with not way out. A phone call startles him, and he realizes he has no idea who he is or why he's there. His memory has been wiped clean for the time being. So, he plays along with the person on the other end and learns the job is done and things are good. As he returns to the main floor, he is attacked by another guy who has awakened, Rancher Shirt (Barry Pepper). The two decide to trust each other since they are both unbound and the others are not. That is until Broken Nose comes to. Slowly, the men begin to piece things together and realize they were all victims of a chemical discharge of a gas that rendered them unconscious and without a memory of who they are or what they are doing there. Infighting between them ensues as they try to escape the fortress. No one knows whom to trust. Meanwhile, on the outside, Eliza Coles (Bridget Moynahan) is meeting with police to help in the drop of ransom money to secure the return of her kidnapped husband, William Coles Jr. A brilliant scheme used by lead kidnapper, Snakeskin Books (Peter Stormare), allows for the collection of the money under the nose of the police and a near clean get-away. Unfortunately, Snakeskin is spotted and identified by Detective Anderson (Clayne Crawford) who then is enlisted to help track the money. After a while in the plant, the men figure out based on some of the phone call details and a recent newspaper left beind that one of them is probably the kidnapped tycoon, William Coles Jr., and the rest are probably kidnappers. But who is who? As time goes by, each begins to remember small details. All is not as it seems. They form alliances, work together to escape, and ultimately forge a plan to thwart the kidnappers when they return Home Alone style.
Very nearly his first feature film, director Simon Brand, did a decent job of creating the atmosphere for this film. For the most part, he has coaxed good caliber performances from his cast as well. Were it not for the feelings of borrowed material and scenarios, the recycled cast—only Mr. Caviezel and Mr. Kinnear seem fresh—and the double-twist ending discovered too late in the film to be capitalized upon, the film would have had better resonance and appeal. The cast and acting job done by the police in the film, also, is worth noting as being on the wrong side of the law. Certainly, this is not a bad film, it just lacked ingredients and a freshness that would have made it a pretty good film.
Very nearly his first feature film, director Simon Brand, did a decent job of creating the atmosphere for this film. For the most part, he has coaxed good caliber performances from his cast as well. Were it not for the feelings of borrowed material and scenarios, the recycled cast—only Mr. Caviezel and Mr. Kinnear seem fresh—and the double-twist ending discovered too late in the film to be capitalized upon, the film would have had better resonance and appeal. The cast and acting job done by the police in the film, also, is worth noting as being on the wrong side of the law. Certainly, this is not a bad film, it just lacked ingredients and a freshness that would have made it a pretty good film.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring Unknown (2006)
Cast Members
James Caviezel
• Greg Kinnear• Bridget MoynahanJoe Pantoliano
• Barry Pepper• Jeremy SistoPeter Stormare
• Chris Mulkey• Clayne CrawfordDavid Selby
Director
Simon Brand
Writer
Matthew Waynee
Unknown (2006) Review-lite [150-word cap]
This unheralded little film borrows unabashedly from Reservoir Dogs and Memento while never even coming close to either in skill or story. Worst of all, there is a very wicked little twist at the end that some might argue is the pinnacle of the film, but it washes away quickly in the rolling credits as if to say, "Gotcha good, but no need to rub it in or make sure that what you just saw was right." The story is billed as happening in reverse order which is hardly the case. Rather it unfolds in real time forward with flashbacks revealing earlier events. Very nearly his first feature film, director Simon Brand, did a decent job of creating the atmosphere for this film. Were it not for the feelings of borrowed material and the recycled cast—only James Caviezel and Greg Kinnear seem fresh—the film would have better resonance and appeal.
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