Identity

This is an excellent film from a solid director at the top of his game. Most attempts at making a "twist film" fall flat on their face; This is one of the great ones. It's greatness lies in it's simplicity and the way in which it very compellingly weaves thrills, scares and exposition within the film's strong taut structure, leading to a surprising and satisfying conclusion.

The actors are all uniformly brilliant. Ray Liotta again is absolutely a standout performer as he was in Goodfellas for which he was rightly lauded for and John Cusack's brilliant turn makes us wish he had put in a similar performance in his more recent outings since.

I won't ruin it for you, but if you like thrillers, or just compelling stories in the Thriller genre, just watch it. Watch it now! 8/10

At the start of the movie, Dr. Malick is evaluating Malcolm Rivers, who is about to be executed for a series of murders, unless Malick can convince those who need to hear that Rivers was insane.

Then a seemingly unrelated series of events take place. And while we don't see Malick or Rivers again for a while, they are somehow connected with these events too. Exactly how I've never quite figured out.

The one common thread is that all the parties involved (except Malick) are driving through rural Nevada in heavy rain that is causing so much flooding everyone will end up at this one motel. A hooker who wants to grow oranges in Florida, the spoiled actress Carolina Suzanne and her driver Ed, the York family, newlyweds Ginny and Lou, and Rhodes, who is transporting prisoner Robert Maine.

Motel clerk Larry calmly checks everyone in, not exactly upset by all the chaos. But there's no working phone, and one of the potential guests seriously needs emergency help. Ed tries, but there's too much flooding to make it to a hospital and even cell phones don't work.

Ed, a former cop, tries to take charge of the situation, though Rhodes seems to think he should be in charge. And then people start dying. And the prisoner escapes. The newlyweds are in Room 6, and the number falls, making it look like a 9. The main clues to the murders are keys found with the bodies, and the keys seem to be showing up in sequence--10, 9, 8, 7 ...

So who will survive? Who is really behind the murders? And how are Malick and Rivers connected to all this?

I found the early scenes fascinating. Everyone was connected to everyone else, and if one event hadn't happened, none of the others would have. Eventually, I was just plain confused because I didn't know what was going on.

And when the murderer was finally revealed, he or she was not really revealed. I felt like I had heard three different possibilities but not been told which one was the right one. Then again, maybe I was told more information than was needed, and some of it was irrelevant. But I can't believe they would go THIS far ...

There were a lot of good acting performances. I genuinely dislike John McGinley, but he played a totally different character here than what I am used to. He seemed compulsive and somewhat mentally ill but genuinely desired to do the right thing.

Gary Busey was scary and almost funny, not too different from some of his other bad guy characters.

Bret Loehr didn't have much to do early as the little boy who had lost one parent and seemed likely to lose two more. But he was quite good later.

John Cusack carried the movie. He showed frustration but also competence. His character wasn't perfect but he wanted to do the best he could and didn't have patience with those who didn't care about others or couldn't handle the situation.

And Rebecca DeMornay did the demanding celebrity routine quite well.

I'm not going to recommend this for family viewing because some of the bodies are hard to look at.

It's mostly a worthy effort.

This movie totally surprised me on every level. I had never even heard of it until recently; when an observant video store clerk noticed how many thrillers I was hiring and suggested it.

Having missed it at the movies, I figured it would be the usual B-grade mystery murder flick, a bit of fun at best. Instead this movie had me hooked from the opening sequence; I almost thought they'd put the wrong DVD in the box!

The story is like one big twisted, turning tunnel- with barely a glimmer of a light at the end. The cast is great, the setting appropriately scary- with no short measure of red herrings to keep you guessing.

The cast really delivers too; the characters are diverse and given enough attention to keep you engaged but not so much as to slow the action down. John Cusack is in fine form as the easily likable ex-cop trying to hold it all together; Jake Busey plays the psychotic to perfection as usual.

I don't usually go in for gore, but there's really barely more than a few hints of blood & guts. Definitely one to watch in the dark with a group of friends to scare the hell out of yourselves. You won't regret this one.

I have watched this film a bunch of times and I'm never disappointed, even though I clearly know what is going on and who is responsible!

To be fair, I usually give it a year or so between viewings, just to give me enough time to be not totally sure I remember it in full. That's getting way harder now, but that's ok.

It's dark, it's raining all the time, it's so corny in places you think who wrote this, a child? There's loads going on to distract you and it has a stellar cast. It's one of those films I envy people watching it for the first time.

If you've not seen it, rectify that pronto! And then watch it a bunch more times to really savour it!

A+

Every so often I like to go into films knowing very little about them. It's gratifying not hearing any news stories, or Internet rumors, or early reviews before you see a film because you can genuinely feel surprised by every passing minute of it. In the case of Identity, I only saw a trailer for it once in theatres and I saw various TV spots before its release, but other than that I knew nothing about the core of the story. I went in with no preconceived notions or opinions. For a change I was being a submissive film viewer.

After the credits rolled (by the way I rarely stay until the end of the credits) I was so amazed and surprised by the film that I had just experienced. Identity is a highly original, beautifully constructed, and a mildly scary film that will (excuse my language) do a serious mind f*** on your brain.

The less you know about Identity's plot, the better. This is the kind of film you need to go into knowing very little about. There are a few twists, plenty of scares, and also a very surprising ending that will have some people disappointed, or praising its creativity. I'm definitely in the latter on this one.

Identity is also a masterpiece of atmosphere. Something that I think is the most important aspect of any movie in this genre. Whether it's Halloween, setting the scene for small town horror, or The Ring, drenching us in very dark and Gothic scenery, atmosphere is what makes or breaks a horror film. Thankfully Identity succeeds by creating an atmosphere that is truly frightening and visually impressive. The motel is a perfect setting for the proceedings that take place throughout the night.

A nice ensemble cast rounds out Identity's many incredible attributes. John Cusack gives a very good performance as Ed. Cusack has always been good at playing the 'everyday normal guy' and he uses this to great effect here. It's a layered performance that offers some surprises throughout the picture.

The other high profile performer is the always-reliable Ray Liotta as Rhodes. Liotta never seems to disappoint whenever he's performing, even in sub-par material. He's just as good as he usually is in this picture and he uses his sometimes-abrasive personality to its utmost potential.

Amanda Peet gives her best performance to date as Paris. She has some nice moments where she's allowed sprinkle some comic relief throughout an otherwise dreary picture. However, when she's required to exhibit real fear, she is more than capable. She also shares some good scenes with Cusack during a few key moments in the film.

Clea Duvall and William Lee Scott supply some youth and tenacity as Ginny and Lou. Duvall probably has the role typically called the 'scream queen role' in most horror films and she does well with what she's given. There were times that I could genuinely feel her fear. Scott is given less to do as Lou but he does have some good scenes with Duvall that requires a decent amount of emotion.

John Hawkes and John C. McGinley are also adequate in supporting roles. Hawkes is given a fair share of the comedic lines and for the most part he plays the part well. McGinley fairs better as the husband who must tend for his injured wife and social inadequate stepson. If I felt sympathy for anyone the most, it was his character.

Rebecca Demornay is given very little to do as the failed movie actress but there are some funny jokes made at her expense as one character asks her 'didn't you used to be that actress?' This is some clever commentary on Demornay's obviously fledgling career. The same can be said for Jake Busey as the convict, who is given little to do and seems out of place when paired with the more talented actors in the picture.

What's important is the work these actors do when they're all together. This is very much an ensemble and they play off each other's fear. Their reactions to these situations make the picture all the more frightening.

On the other end of the story, Alfred Molina brings a bit of substance to his role, despite have limited screen time as the psychiatrist and Pruitt Taylor Vance will shock, amaze, and terrify you as the murderer waiting for his execution. Vance's portrayal is very frightening, and an ultimately brilliant performance. Given the limited screen time he does a lot with the role.

Identity is filled with secrets, surprises, and scares that will have moviegoers talking for quite some time. Much like The Ring it has the potential to have some word of mouth appeal. However, don't listen too much to what people have to say about it because it's best to experience this modern masterpiece of fear, knowing very little about it. I guarantee you will be surprised.