Unknown

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring: Liam Neeson, Diane Krüger, January Jones, Bruno Ganz
Time Out rating:

Identity theft? A few dodgy card transactions are nothing compared to Liam Neeson’s travails in this spirited but wonky contemporary thriller. He’s a top biochemist just landed in Berlin. Forgetting his briefcase at the airport, he leaves his wife (January Jones) at their hotel, whereupon an auto snarl-up dumps his taxi in the River Spree – from which he escapes with his life, and little else. No ID, memory shaky. Not much help, then, when the missus claims he’s a total stranger and Aidan Quinn is filling his shoes. Will anyone believe his story?

The answer, sadly, proves to be rather less captivating than the question, and the movie rather crumbles when it eventually has to deliver its secrets. Ordinarily, this would leave viewers cursing under their breath, but director Jaume Collet-Serra manages a playful tone which encourages us to lighten up and enjoy this neatly turned fluff for what it is. Crisp car chases, scene-stealing Bruno Ganz as a Stasi-trained private eye and Neeson’s ably grounding presence help in that process.

Unknown opens in Japan on May 7

Watch the trailer