Unknown (2011)

Release date: 2011-11-01
Country: UK|Germany|France|USA
Language: English|German|Turkish|Arabic
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Production Co: Dark Castle Entertainment, Panda Productions Inc., Canal+
Genre: Action, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 6.8/10
Length: 1h 53min

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?

Plot Keywords

amnesia, berlin germany, fake id, woman's neck broken, two in a shower, agriculture, nurse, scientist, airport, underwater scene, car crash, car accident, false memory, flashback, character's point of view camera shot, doctor, false name, professor, prince, american abroad

Short Review

May eventually surrender to convention and implausibility in equal measure, but until then, Collet-Serra grounds the conspiracy with a proper sense of mystery and mood.