Trailers usually give a good indication as to whether a film will be good or not - like the trailer and you'll like the film. But not in the case of Unknown.
The trailer for this film pulled me in and I was eager to see the action thriller.
The film started off strongly. Despite Liam Neeson's painfully dire acting, the film started on the right foot. It didn't dawdle and threw the audience into the storyline and action quickly, which was engaging and thrilling.
Diane Kruger gave a strong and dynamic performance, as always, in the role of Gina, and January Jones was fitting for the glamourous but mysterious role of Dr Martin Harris' (played by Neeson) 'wife'.
The film was effective in staging the story, the action was subtle and not too over-the-top, using diverse film techniques such as slow-motion and light, to create atmosphere and add to the overall film experience.
But as the story started to turn, so did my enjoyment.
The pace and momentum of the film built well, and as the story grew darker, I remained optimistic about the plot.
The film-makers did well to invent an ending which I certainly did not see coming. But it felt like a cop-out, an anti-climax. Like the script writers just got bored and said 'yeah, that'll do'. They might as well have just killed everyone off.
The film built up the suspense well and then just threw it out of the window as the plot went off in another direction. Many have complimented the film on it's surprise twist, but I found it somewhat disappointing.
Neeson initially stepped out of his comfort zone to play a role which was un-focused on action and corny one-liners, but it didn't take long for him to slip back into his well-known and well-practiced routine character.
Kruger and Jones were enjoyable to watch on screen, and Frank Langella, appeared late on in the film to portray his signature mysterious role.
If you liked Taken then Unknown is probably worth a watch. I'd say wait for it to come on the late-night Film 4 schedule.
No comments:
Post a Comment