Who's In It: Liam Neeson, January Jones, Diane Krueger, Aidan Quinn, Frank Langella
The Basics: Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) travels to Berlin with his lovely wife Elizabeth (January Jones) for a Very Scientific Convention that he is set to speak at. Since nothing good ever seems to happen to tourists abroad unless you're in Eat Pray Love, Harris accidentally leaves his briefcase at the airport. When he jumps in a cab to head back for it, he and the driver (Diane Krueger) get into a horrible car accident. One coma and a million confused eye-squinches later, Harris finds that his wife claims to not know who he is, and another man (Aidan Quinn) has stolen his life. The film is a twisty, turny ride of intrigue that ends up in a place other than what you expected.
What's the Deal: A couple of years ago Liam Neeson hit the sleepy month of January with a cattle prod called Taken. That movie was totally awesome, and Unknown looks like it was made in an attempt to get lightning to strike twice (which is why my friends and I have been lovingly referring to it as TAKENER). I went into it with high hopes, because it is truly stunning to see Liam Neeson handling knives and doing roundhouse kicks. Thankfully, I left satisfied, as the movie is a well-performed, well-directed thriller that kept me interested the entire time.
It's Not Just a Month Anymore: Although her performance on Saturday Night Live left something to be desired, I can never stay mad at January Jones. This movie is the perfect platform for her vacant-eyed, unaffected style of standing on the set/acting. She was very well-cast and has an interesting character. Just between you and me, sometimes for fun I would pretend she didn't recognize Liam Neeson's character because he wasn't her TV husband Jon Hamm.
What I Needed More Of: I wanted just a hare more action from the flick. As I mentioned, I like seeing Schindler lay some brothers out. The movie takes awhile to get to this place, but once it does, it's all about the fight between Aidan Quinn and Liam Neeson. I could practically taste the testosterone!
What I Needed Less Of: Diane Krueger's weird accent. I didn't know where she was supposed to be from and I never really attached to her character or cared about her.
Some Life Rules: I propose that we begin a Rule Book that we pass out to kids in schools. I further propose that the first rules in it be the following: Don't go into a discotheque EVER, avoid going into apartments that are near "erotik" stores, and if you see Frank Langella coming toward you, avoid at all costs. I feel like this is a good step towards keeping our young ones safe.