Thursday, March 24, 2011

9. Identity


Title:        Identity
Year:        2003
Genre:      Psychological Thriller
Type:        A-Movie
Run Time: 90

Director: James Mangold
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Watch Movie


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Trailer


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Synopsis

What if every choice we ever make was already made for us? What if there really were no coincidences in life and our destinies were already predetermined?

Ten strangers with secrets are brought together in a savage rainstorm: A limo driver (John Cusack), an ‘80s TV star (Rebecca DeMornay), a cop (Ray Liotta) who is transporting a killer (Jake Busey), a call girl (Amanda Peet), a pair of newlyweds (Clea DuVall and William Lee Scott) and a family in crisis (John C. McGinley, Leila Kenzle, Bret Loehr), all take shelter at a desolate motel run by a nervous night manager (John Hawkes). Relief in finding shelter is quickly replaced with fear as the ten travelers begin to die, one by one. They soon realize that, if they are to survive, they’ll have to uncover the secret that has brought them all together.

Alternative Synopsis
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Personal Thoughts

Identity is a 2003 psychological thriller (made in the vain of a supernatural thriller), directed by James Mangold, starring John Cusack and Ray Liotta, along with a few other notable hollywood actresses and actors. It one of those movies that has all of the necessary ingredients for keeping viewers glued to the edge of their seats. 

I remember the TV advertisement for this movie back when it was still playing in theaters. One of the punchlines was ... "Scarier Then The Ring" which is kind of why I was expecting a supernatural style story plot when I initially sat down to watch it for the first time. Needless to say, Identity didn't disappoint. From start to finish, this film had me on a dark, "whodunit" roller coaster ride, full of mystery and suspense, topped with a surprise ending!  




The core of the movie takes place at an old rundown lookin' motel, on a dark and rainy night. The main characters are stranded (due to flooded roads and a nasty rainstorm) and if you haven't guessed by now, start being killed off one by one ... kind of in the vain of a teen scream movie. If I were talking to someone about this movie, and I had to name several things I thought it was similar to, Psycho, Shutter Island, and the board game Clue quickly comes to mind. 

I thought the atmosphere was great, the acting was strong (I tend to like John Cusack, and I find myself checking out almost everything he's in), and the overall plot was good, which made for a good movie.  Though I enjoyed this movie, it does have its moments where you'll probably say to yourself, "oh give me a break ... that's unrealistic!"

The movie also casts actor Pruitt Taylor Vince, as a convicted murderer on death row. In case you don't know who he is, he's the guy I tend to refer to as the "crazy eyes man". He can be found in a bunch of movies and television series (Identity, Jacob's Ladder, The X-Files, The Cape ... just to name a few). Directors must love the crazy eye movement trick he does seeing as he seems to do it in everything he's in.

In closing, I don't wanna say too much and spoil anything ... this movie is full of psychological suspense and thrills, and like a puzzle, it'll have you trying to put together the pieces all the way up to the very end, which is why I'm making this my next recommendation. Check it out if you missed it, or if you haven't seen it in a while.



Reviews
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 What I liked:

- The Setting (Motel, Rain Atmosphere)
- The "WhodunIt" Style Plot
- The Ending

What I didn't like:

- Some parts seemed overly unrealistic
- The vulgarity
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My Ratings

How good was it:             

How scary was it:        


How much did I enjoy it:


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Identity Extras:

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You May Also Like:

Shutter Island
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1 comment:

Maynard Morrissey said...

I can't express how much I enjoyed this movie. IMO it's one of the most underrated horror-thrillers ever made.

Dude, you have a nice blog! Just pressed your follow-button. Would be nice if you could press mine too :-)

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