When I first saw that Liam Neeson was starring in another fast-paced thriller, I was very excited. But oh, how high expectations can be dashed.
The story begins with Dr. Martin Harris (Neeson) and his beautiful wife Elizabeth (January Jones) on a flight to attend a biotechnology conference in Berlin.
Dr. Harris is a botanist. This isn’t exactly important to the story at all, but because he seemed to make the fact that he was a doctor evident every time someone would ask, it was drilled into my mind constantly throughout the film’s 113-minute run time.
Dr. Harris gives his “insignificant” name first, and then repeats with his title as if it would make him worthy of special treatment. It went something like this, “Martin Harris, oh excuse me, Dr. Martin Harris”
Sorry Harris, but you’re not as suave as Bond.
But anyway, the Harris’ land in an unforgivingly cold and snowy Berlin, setting up the miserable events that are to follow. The two hail a cab and scramble to get in out of the cold as their driver loads their bags into the trunk.
And here’s where the trouble starts, with something as simple as a human being’s own stupidity.
Surprise! His briefcase gets left behind on the airport trolley. And guess what else! His only form of identification is inside that very same briefcase. I wonder how much time it took the filmmakers to whip that idea up?
However, the whole ridiculousness of the first couple scenes was a clever move for director Jaume Collet-Serra, but in the interest of avoiding plot spoilers, I’ll let you figure out why for yourself.
With his wife inside the hotel checking in, our beloved doctor jumps in a taxi driven by Gina (Diane Kruger), an illegal refugee from Bosnia, to reclaim his briefcase and his identity, when suddenly a container falls off of a truck and smashes into their windshield, causing them to spin around like a tinker toy and fly off a bridge into the icy waters below.
Kruger becomes the heroine, pulling the now unconscious Dr. Harris out of the sinking taxi. But, since she is an illegal immigrant, she flees the scene, disappearing into the streets of Berlin. Dr. Harris ends up in the hospital unconscious for four days.
After waking from his coma, Dr. Harris checks out of the hospital, determined to find his wife. Shockingly, he discovers she no longer recognizes him and is arm-in-arm with another man who, coincidentally, is named Dr. Martin Harris.
Here, in the midst of confusion and heartbreak, is where our doctor’s quest begins. Throughout the rest of the film, he’ll struggle to answer questions about his reality and identity while simultaneously acquiring assassin-like ninja skills to match the spies lurking around every corner.
It’s not every day you can witness a 50-some-year-old botanist bust a move without fracturing a hip.
Like most thrillers, we’re led through twists and turns, but there is no element of surprise.
At the moment where we see Mrs. Harris’ “new” husband, it was obvious how the movie was going to end up. Maybe it’s because I’m a gifted genius. I’ll let you be the judge, but regardless, the ending was predictable, and the movie lacked a certain punch that would have kept you begging for more.
If there were an award for most coincidental, unrealistic events in a two hour span, this would be more than just a nominee; it would be the Oscar winner.
How coincidental is it that his brief case, and the one with his passport at that, is the one that gets left behind? Or that while racing to reclaim his passport Dr. Harris’ phone suddenly loses signal in one of the biggest cities in Germany?
Not to mention the fact that the taxi driver, Gina, is gorgeous. Now, I’ve never been to Germany or had the privilege of being in the backseat of a German taxi, but my Americanized, stereotypical assumption is that most taxi drivers aren’t going to be drop-dead-gorgeous runway models.
When I think taxi driver, I’m thinking some older guy, missing a few teeth. Not a pretty, blond hair blue-eyed chick with an adorable accent and hat to match.
However, I’ll give credit where credit is due: there were some humorous scenes…but unfortunately, they occurred at all the wrong moments.
I found myself chuckling with the rest of the movie goers during awkward silences between characters, Dr. Harris stumbling around the hospital in a drug induced fashion, and Neeson’s signature “I’m angry now” voice; a mix between a wicked sore throat and Christian Bales’ Batman. If you’ve seen other movies starring Neeson, like Taken, you’re probably familiar with this characteristic of his.
There was one scene where Harris, bound to a hospital gurney by his wrist, tries to reach for scissors near by. Of course, the pair of scissors is just out of his reach. But as each second passes by, or rather, after each agonizing minute, his shaking fingertips inch closer and closer to his goal. So we, the audience, sit there – eyes glazing over and glued to the gigantic screen watching and waiting for something, anything, to happen.
I sat there, mouth open in awe, full of half chewed popcorn, waiting for the ‘ah ha!’ moment, waiting for the goose bumps a good thriller usually bestows, waiting for something that would finally capture the essence of this film and reclaim its identity.
But, as fate would have it, the film’s 5-minute laser-focused scene dedicated solely to scissor seeking amounted to nothing more than another failed attempt to create suspense.
The ending of the film, including its final, predictable twist, made me wish that this film had left with something to figure out for myself. With a great cast, an adequate director and a nice, sizable budget, this film still managed to fall way short, for reasons that will forever remain Unknown.
.
