IDENTITY
A Columbia Pictures Release

review by Joseph B. Mauceri

SYNOPSIS: Trapped by a savage rainstorm, ten travelers seek refuge at a desert motel. What appears to be a shelter from the storm quickly becomes anything but that. There is a killer among them and, one by one, they are being murdered. As the storm rages on one thing becomes clear: Each of them was drawn to the motel, not by accident or circumstance, but by forces beyond their control. Who will be the first to uncover the mind-bending mystery and the terrifying identity?

REVIEW: A writer, attempting to come up with a new spin on mystery/thriller has a tough road ahead of him/her. He/She is forced to create in the shadow of such luminaries as Edgar Allan Poe (the grandfather of the mystery), Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Block and Thomas Harris, to name just a few. An aspiring director is challenged by the works of Brian De Palma, John Huston, David Mamet, and the great-granddaddy of them all, Hitchcock. The cinema these days has not really "re-invented the wheel" when it comes to giving an audience a good ride for their ticket, as they've used the language of film to reshape the narrative. Case in point, director/writer Christopher Nolan's box office hit "Memento."

Allow me to take a time out here. The problem with reviewing a film like this, as with a film like "The Sixth Sense," is the need to be careful with what I say so that I don't spoil the film for you. If I'm a bit vague here at times, it's because I'm walking a fine line. So I hope you'll forgive me, but appreciate it if you see the film.

Other than a couple of minor pet peeves ö which I will not be discussing here, the reasons as previously mentioned ö IDENTITY is as thrilling as it is impressive. When I first read Michael Cooney's screenplay I thought it was just okay ö part of that could have been due to the numerous typos in the script. From the setting to the setup, you could tell that Cooney is a big fan of the genre. The story borrows a bit from films that span the gambit from Hitchcock to Chris Nolan, with the proverbial "kitchen sink" thrown in. It's fun, but felt like a greasy-popcorn type of flick.

Along comes director James Mangold who, most important of all, gets the material and decides to push the envelope. His direction adds more tension and suspense to IDENTITY, thereby moving the material a few rungs up the ladder of impressive filmmaking. He manages to streamline Cooney's pacing. The film is more accessible to the viewer and takes the audience along for the ride. He uses interplay of wide to tight shots and close-ups that add a claustrophobic element to the story. That, in and of itself, adds a bit of irony to the plot, but I can't say any more than that. Bring in the action and special effects, and Mangold is skillfully orchestrating this tale towards a big emotional reaction from the audience.

Looking over the "usual suspects," it seems to me that Cooney might have designed his cast of characters after Inspector Clouseau's remark, "I suspect everyone, and suspect no one." The women folk, in terms of being proactive to the mystery, take a backseat to the men. Other than Paris, who is the whore with a "heart of gold" (stereotype), most of the women are running around complaining, screaming, and being murdered. Bring in a talented cast and, again, you're moving up that ladder. The director works with Cusack, Liotta, De Mornay, Busey, and McGinley to add depth and dimension to the characters. Of all the players here, you've gotta love John Hawkes. John's been working in films since 1987, but really got noticed in Robert Rodriguez's "From Dusk Till Dawn." He played the store clerk who gets into a gun flight with the Gecko brothers, played by George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino. He kind of does the same shtick here, which gives the film just the touch of comic relief it needs.

The last thing Mangold adds to the film is a bit more edge with some gripping special effects. For that, he turns to K.N.B. EFX Group, the hardest working guys I know of in the special effects business. These guys, who aren't afraid of getting their hands dirty, have worked on a variety of films. However, they're best known in the film industry for their work on horror films. If IDENTITY is considered to be a horror film by some, it is due to the nasty little edges they give to the character's deaths. It's nothing way over the top, but just enough to push audiences to the edge of or have you squirming in your seat.

In the end, under James Mangold's direction, IDENTITY is a tight, shocking whodunit, with solid performances, that will keep you wondering to the bitter end. And whether you cheer or sneer at the end, Mangold wins either way. Why? Because he suckered you in to a point where you're reaching to his film. After all, it is just a movie...

OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/identity/
 
 

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