Unknown (2011)

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.

Director:

Jaume Collet-Serra

Writers:

Oliver Butcher (screenplay), Stephen Cornwell (screenplay)

Stars:

Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Liam Neeson	...	Dr. Martin Harris
Diane Kruger	...	Gina
January Jones	...	Elizabeth Harris
Aidan Quinn	...	Martin B
Bruno Ganz	...	Ernst Jürgen
Frank Langella	...	Rodney Cole
Sebastian Koch	...	Professor Bressler
Olivier Schneider	...	Smith
Stipe Erceg	...	Jones
Rainer Bock	...	Herr Strauss
Mido Hamada	...	Prince Shada
Clint Dyer	...	Biko
Karl Markovics	...	Dr. Farge
Eva Löbau	...	Nurse Gretchen
Helen Wiebensohn	...	Laurel Bressler

Storyline

A biochemist and his dishy wife arrive in Berlin for a conference at which a scientist and his controversial Arab funder will announce breakthrough research. While his wife checks into the hotel, he grabs a cab to return to the airport for his briefcase, left at the curb. En route, an auto accident puts him in a coma, from which he awakes four days later without identification and with gaps in his memory. He goes to the hotel: his wife refuses to recognize him and another man has claimed his identity. With help from a nurse, the cab driver, a retired Stasi agent, and an academic friend, he tries to unravel what's going on. Is the answer in the briefcase?

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Plot Keywords:

amnesia | berlin | memory loss | airport | scientist | 

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Taglines:

Take back your life.

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Genres:

Action | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence and action, and brief sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Kinowelt [Germany] Official site [France]

Country:

UK Germany France USA

Language:

English German Turkish Arabic

Release Date:

18 February 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Unknown

Filming Locations:

Tresor, Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$21,856,389, 20 February 2011

Gross USA:

$63,686,397

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$130,786,397

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dark Castle Entertainment, Panda Productions Inc., Canal+

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

With the reference of Prince Shada as a Saudi prince with progressive and humanitarian ambitions, this film steps in line with current Saudi ruler Prince Mohammad bin Salman's so-called Hollywood "Charm Offensive" strategy. This has included various well-publicised meetings with Hollywood executives, producers and actors, such as Disney's Bob Iger, Warner Bros. chairman Kevin Tsujihara, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Oprah Winfrey.

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Goofs

After the pickup at the airport, the taxi driver is speaking, apparently on the phone. According to the closed captioning, this is described as "cab driver speaking German". The driver is actually speaking Turkish.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Pilot's Voice: Ladies and gentlemen, we're beginning our descent into Berlin Tegel, where local time is 8:30 AM, and the temperature is a cool minus four degrees.
Dr. Martin Harris: Morning.
Elizabeth Harris: Did you sleep?
Dr. Martin Harris: No. I'll sleep at the hotel.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits are shown as clouds being viewed from an airplane blow past... not so crazy, except that it actually makes one of the credits unreadable.

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Connections

Featured in Liam Neeson: Known Action Hero (2011)

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Soundtracks

Elevation
Performed by Sultana Ensemble
Written by Yoel Ben-Simhon (ASCAP)
Published by Lovecat Music (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Lovecat Music

User Reviews

Good twist to an old plot

A man (Liam Neeson) is in a horrible accident, and when he recovers, no one knows who he is, including his wife, in "Unknown," a 2011 film starring Liam Neeson, January Jones, Diane Kruger, Aiden Quinn, and Frank Langella.

We've seen this plot, or a derivation thereof, many times: the man who disappears and everyone denies his existence to the person who accompanied him (So Long at the Fair, Dangerous Crossing), or the man who suddenly isn't who he says he is (The Net). The plot of "Unknown" is the latter, and Dr. Martin Harris (Neeson) attempts to investigate why someone (Aiden Quinn) is now Dr. Martin Harris and with his wife (January Jones). To do this, Harris must first find the taxi driver who saved his life (Kruger). Meanwhile, he desperately tries to reach a professor (Frank Langella) back at his college who can verify his identity.

This type of film, when done well, as this one was, moves quickly and has lots of actions in order to cover up the plot holes. There usually are some, but if the film is good, one doesn't mind. I have to say I really enjoyed this film, filmed mostly in and around Berlin. Good performances, very exciting, a couple of dandy car chases, and a neat twist. Highly recommended.