Unknown [Blu-ray]

"Unknown" is a wonderful suspense/thriller action-er that finds (the always excellent) Liam Neeson's Dr. Martin Harris fighting an identity crisis as another man (Quinn) has taken his identity after a car accident. There is a twist that I have to admit that I figured out fairly early in the film. However, that doesn't take away from the film. It all plays out very well. The movie is based on the French novel Unknown: A Novel by Didier van Cauwelaert, and there is no lull in the film. This is probably the best suspense action film I've seen so far this year. Definitely a film that should've had much better reviews, "Unknown" delivers the action, drama and suspense that you want in a film.

Unknown may be marketed as a sequel of sorts (at least in tone) to Liam Neeson's surprise hit of a few years back, but this is not the action packed thrill ride that Taken provided. This film is about 75% mystery/thriller and 25% action. In fact, there were only a couple of fight scenes and one neat car chase to fill in the gaps when the pace needed picking up. I agree with the other reviewer here who said they wished the twist came earlier and left more time for Neeson to kick some serious booty. Speaking of the twist, I couldn't figure it out and I felt it worked really well.

Liam Neeson once again proves to be an unlikely yet very believable action star. You can't help but root for this guy. I hope he continues with these types of roles every so often. January Jones and Diane Kruger are here to look good, but only Kruger has a character worth any interest. There is a quiet scene with Frank Langella and Bruno Ganz that stands out.

Taken or Unknown? Which one do I think is better? I'll take the action in Taken any day of the week, but I feel this movie has a stronger cast and a more interesting story. Too bad they couldn't throw just a little more Qui-Gon beatdowns into the mix. Still, this is a wild ride worth at least a rental, or maybe even a nice spot next to your copy of Taken.

Along with his wife, Liam Neeson is in Berlin for a biotech conference. He forgets his briefcase at the airport and realizes this when they arrive at the hotel. He takes a cab ride back to the airport to retrieve the briefcase and has an accident along the way. Four days later he awakens from his coma, after being dead for 7 minutes. He has no ID. He goes to the hotel where he sees his wife, except she is with a man with the same name as his (Martin Harris) and he claims that he is her husband and his wife likewise makes the same claim! At this point I was divided as to what is going on. Is this a Twilight Zone where a guy goes to an alternate reality? Maybe a "Dark City" experiment. Is this an elaborate hoax? If so why is his wife a part of it? Maybe they decided to remake Hauser's Memory (am I showing my age?) Or none of the above? Liam contacts the underground in Berlin to help him find out what is going on.

The acting was good, as expected. The chase and action scenes were about a C+. It could have used some good swagger music, which seems to be the norm in modern movies.

No sex or nudity. Thank you Frank Langella for keeping your pants on.