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So what’s it all about?

A man awakens from a coma, only to discover that someone has taken on his identity and that no one, (not even his wife), believes him. With the help of a young woman, he sets out to prove who he is.

The screenplay by Oliver Butcher and Stephen Cornwell has been planned well; you just don’t know where this movie is going although you’re on the ride to find out. It’s only at the end you can look back and see the clues you missed. Some of them are in your mind and weren’t there, visually, at all.

Liam Neeson is usually good and in Unknown he maintains that steady level. Co-star Diane Kruger is good, but you feel that she wouldn’t have bothered to continue in the troubled dealings if this were real life, but in the movie she needs a bigger role to stand out more. How she managed to push (with her small car) a large SUV out of a fourth floor car park through the concrete barriers beggars belief. How she even spotted the fighting inside the car park as she raced past at 70mph is quite, well, unknown.

The direction keeps the movie rolling at a rate that maintains the right level of interest. You keep asking yourself ‘why?’ as the movie continues. It’s that level of participation that keeps you gripped to your seat wanting to know more.

You don’t get to see much of Berlin, where this is set, which is a shame as it’s such a delightful city, but this isn’t a tourist guide. In fact, after seeing this movie you might avoid Berlin altogether.

If someone tells you they guessed the twist, don’t believe them. It’s the most effective twist I’ve witnessed in years. So good you couldn’t guess the outcome.

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