You wish some of the plot holes had been spackled better.
Unknown (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:17
Fresh:4
Rotten:13
Average Rating:4.6/10
Consensus: Though it boasts a talented cast, this thriller fails to make you care about the twisty mystery of the men's identities and situation.
Theatrical Release:Nov 3, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: Five men awaken in a warehouse with no way out and no recollection of how they got there, only to struggle with their suspicion of each other as they try to piece together their story from... Five men awaken in a warehouse with no way out and no recollection of how they got there, only to struggle with their suspicion of each other as they try to piece together their story from available clues. One (Greg Kinnear) has a broken nose, while another (Jeremy Sisto) is handcuffed to a pipe and slowly dying from a gunshot wound. Two (Barry Pepper and Jim Caviezel) are unhurt, while the fifth (Joe Pantoliano) is tied to a chair--which is how the group wish to keep him until they figure out why he got that way. Meanwhile, the police are tracking a sinister man in snakeskin boots (Peter Stormare) with a connection to the group, and a worried wife (Bridget Moynihan) of one of the men searches desperately for her husband. But will the men kill each other out of suspicion before finding a way out of the warehouse? The second half of the '90s saw a spate of neo-noirs inspired by Tarantino's supercharged RESERVOIR DOGS. Christopher Nolan's MEMENTO (2000), though in obvious debt to Tarantino, was a breathtakingly new shot in the arm for the genre. Simon Brand's UNKNOWN is a brainy and verbose melding of the two. Making its low budget work in its favor, the script could easily be performed on a stage, as the locations number in the low single digits. Though many young pulp-drunk post-Tarantino directors have toyed with non-linear narratives, Matthew Waynee's script doesn't make the device seem rote or overindulgent. Also a small, strong cast led by Caviezel, Kinnear, and Pepper ensure this solid thriller isn't just another entry in the tough-guy crime stakes. [More]
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Joe Pantoliano, Jim Caveziel, Barry Pepper
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Joe Pantoliano, Jim Caveziel, Barry Pepper, Jeremy Sisto, Bridget Moynahan, Peter Stormare
Director: Simon Brand
Director: Simon Brand
Producer: Rick Lashbrook, John S. Schwartz
Composer: Angelo Milli
Studio: Weinstein Company
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Reviews for Unknown
A nifty little psychological crime thriller that suggests a Treasure of the Sierra Madre for the postindustrial age.
It's a good gimmick, but still a gimmick, and we're left with more confusion than tension.
Unknown is far from a perfect movie, but it's more amusing than many better-made ones.
The movie's disinterest in character might be forgivable were its plot not riddled with holes.
While Brand manages a couple of effectively brutal bits of violence, Matthew Waynee's gassy screenplay is all premise and no propulsion.
The performances are uniformly excellent, and Brand relies on his music video training to provide some tantalizing flashback clues.
Tyro video helmer Simon Brand doesn't give his actors sufficient breathing room, ruthlessly chopping their scenes into monotonous hash.
To kill 80 minutes, the movie has to pad itself with several dull speeches and stagy moments.
It all comes together at the end, logically and with a twist. But it's not a game that allows the audience to play along.
Brisk pacing and an excellent cast of mostly B-list actors can’t make up for the commonplace premise and execution of Simon Brand’s twisty thriller Unknown.
It's not nearly as risky or as inspired as the movies it borrows from. But it keeps its audience's collective head in the game, thanks in large part to an impressive cast enacting the sometimes ludicrous proceedings with conviction.
Once the paranoid surrealism of the opening scenes begins to fade, so does the film's inherent interest level.
The pacing is slightly off, with the action switching between the imprisoned men and the police who are trying to find them, and what should be a mounting sense of urgency inside the warehouse (think Reservoir Dogs) falters and goes slack.
The result is passable, though it’s clear that his forte lies elsewhere.
Latest News for Unknown
July 30, 2007:
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November 02, 2006:
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This week at the movies brings us the profound discoveries of a great Kazak journalist ("Borat," starring Sacha Baron Cohen), a battle between Santa and Jack Frost... More...
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| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
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| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
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