User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 227 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 26 out of 227

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  1. Feb 19, 2011
    I do not expect this movie to win any awards. However, this movie was very entertaining. It kept my attention from start to finish. The acting was good. The plot was interesting. There were several "twists" in the story that were interesting and understandable. It is my opinion that a few of the "action" scenes were exorbitant, but in 2011 it is probably expected by a majority of the audience. I recommend this film. Expand
  2. Feb 21, 2011
  3. Feb 18, 2011
    I can see now that I will never be a professional movie reviewer. The pros have lost the simple pleasure of just being a spectator and taking the ride. I suppose the premise was a bit unbelievable but not beyond plausibility. The action was intense but largely within the bounds of Newtonian physics. Hero's hanging off helicopters by one pinky toe while curving bullets is a sure way to suspend my suspension of disbelief. I don't recall a single instance during Unknown that triggered my b.s. alarm. (And it has a hair trigger!) Like the cabbies bumper sticker says "get in, shut up, hang on... and enjoy the ride." I did and am grateful for the experience. Expand
  4. Feb 20, 2011
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Enjoyed the movie until the ending. Not as much action for something that is advertised as action packed. Had more then one occasion where moments that should have been surprising were not. Diane Kruger kicked more butt then Neeson. Spoilers:

    How a terrorist can plant a bomb, admit to planting it to a room filled with people, have it explode, then stroll away without a whole country searching for him is crazy. Yes, the guy saved some people's lives, but he still blew up a hotel! The ending was absolutely unrealistic. The writing was trying so hard to be smart and then made such a stupid mistake in the end.
  5. Feb 19, 2011
    I thought the twists we're good, and it was very suspenseful. I cant really see why the critics have given this movie such a bad rating, it makes absolutely no sense at all. Take a look at true grit...... it was incredibly boring, plot lacking, etc,etc. Critics gave that one an +80% rating, while this movie which kept me entertained, and actually did its job as a movie got atrocious reviews. I don't really see where Unknown failed, its plausibility of story line? Thats not what makes a great film.... Everything was very well put, and i had the same feeling i got from watching the Bourne series, which somehow also got bad reviews. Ive come to realize that if avatar can get a ridiculously high score, while having a recycled plot line, that the reviewing system is broken. Reviewers have lost touch in what makes movies very good. The true reviews come from the users which are the ones who actually experience the cinema unbiased. This movie gets a 9/10 from based on entrainment, suspense, twists, and action..... F movie critics. Expand
  6. Feb 19, 2011
    Unknown looks extremely awesome and Liam Neeson could kick any ass in the movie,since Taken which is okay. But this epic thriller looks groundbreaking clever film that is so dark and deeply suspenseful.
  7. Feb 22, 2011
  8. Feb 21, 2011
    This film was decent until the first chase scene then it imploded into the preposterous. The second half was so convoluted that it insulted me. The only insult they did not deliver to the viewer was Liam making love to the young girl. Still, it was better than tv on a Sunday night.
  9. Feb 22, 2011
    Really? This movies had an interesting idea, but failed to execute in every way. The plot stalled for 30 minutes and then in 1 minute it would accelerate illogically fast and make the most unrealistic sense. The camera shots during fights were awful. During fights, the camera would basically have a seizure, and the action would blur, and somehow somebody would be dead on the floor. The actors seemed to stop acting in the middle of the film

    Its one of the worst movies I've seen in a while.
  10. Feb 20, 2011
    Man, what a disappointment. You think you're going to see the first awesome movie of the year ands you just come out with wasted potential. At the start of the movie, I was really into it. The opening scenes were very well done and I thought e would finally be in for a great movie. But alas, I was wrong. Once were about a third into the movie, it goes from being an intense mystery/thriller to Michael Bay impossible crap. Seriously there was one scene that just made me shake my head and let me asking "Why did they have to ruin the build up like that?" Then towards the end it goes back to being a good, intense movie(except for the twist, but more on that later). Liam Neeson was the shining point in what was an otherwise really bad movie. He elevates every scene he's in to awesome. I mean come on he's nearly 60 and still kicking ass! What more can you ask for? The rest of the cast is fine, but nothing special. Now, onto the twist. This is the thing that kills the movie. Not only was it lackluster, but I(like many) saw it coming from a mile away. Also, there was no build up to it. They found Liam and basically just told it to him. Then the movie just went from there, almost like it didn't even matter. The only good thing to come from the twist was that it led to a really cool(albeit dark) action scene. Hands down best scene of the movie. So overall, Unknown falls far below expectations, is decently acted, has great action sequences, and a horrible twist. This year just continues to be mediocre. Expand
  11. Feb 23, 2011
    I rarely bother to post a review, but this movie was so terrible I felt obligated to try to help other people avoid wasting their money.
    Although there is one interesting plot development, overall this movie is one of the most preposterous I have ever seen. It is full of plot flaws and inconsistencies.
    Although I saw one professional reviewer who thought the car chases were great, my
    girlfriend and I thought there were too many, that they were too long, and that they were so unbelievable that it was hard to be excited by them. As a minor example of a plot flaw, how could there possibly be such long car chases in a busy major city with no police in sight.
    Regarding the acting, January Jones can't -- she's a wooden post. Liam Neeson does emote a lot, but it's one note that gets tiresome. Diane Kruger is the only redeeming factor in the entire movie.
  12. Feb 23, 2011
    DUM DUM DUM. This movie is ridiculous, an insult to intelligence. Phoney Bosnian, Jamaican, German accents, 2 dumb bimbo blondes. What is Liam thinking?
  13. Feb 19, 2011
    You all know because of the trailers that there's a man how is a doctor and travels to Gewrmany with his wife. Then there's a car accident, after then he remember who he is, but no one seem to know him, including his wife, and there's a new ''him'' replacing him. Then it gets kinda weird when you see the other woman related (Diane Kruger) telling something like ''you shouldn't be here'' of some kind of
    advice. You start to think it's more than a problem of memory... or
    whatever. Starting with this there's a lot of possibilities. Maybe he's
    crazy, maybe the've replaced him for something else, maybe not. Is in
    some way related to Flightplan starting with a daughter missing and
    people saying that she have never existed. You don't know what to think
    or where to take your mind to. If I said more I'd spoil it. So... you
    have the trailer, the idea and a relation with another movie. A good
    movie, with good visual effects, music, catching, perturbing... it has
    you always in action, waiting for something to happen, and then happens
    another thing, it doesn't give you a break, always running from someone
    of something else. Interesting ending, really good.
  14. Feb 19, 2011
    The movie is not only ridiculous but a typical anti capitalist, "progressive" propaganda piece. If your politics lean toward the communist, socialist agenda then you most likely will enjoy this movie even though it is so incredibly ridiculous that it should have your eyes rolling on a number of occasions. If you lean more toward conservative views then I would imagine you will hate it. I don't know what would be considered a spoiler here but I do have to does one stick a device next to a powered down laptop in a briefcase and manage to magically access the hard drive??? Can anyone ape that ridiculous premise for me? I'm an electronic technician and was thinking maybe there is some fm way of accessing a hard drive on a powered down computer. Just one example of stupid, improbably things peppered throughout the movie. If you liked Ghostwriter then maybe you'll like this too. I hated both. Expand
  15. Feb 22, 2011
    Excellent cerebral movie with good character building, story & action. Perfectly acted though a few times predictable outcome. Would go see again just to make sure I didn't miss anything.
  16. Feb 22, 2011
    Was a very good movie with suspense that really made you think hard to figure out what was going on. The movie started out very slow and dull, but made up for the slow start with an overall great showing of events. I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes suspenseful movies with an interesting story.
  17. Mar 3, 2011
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bosnian women are bad drivers. They can't avert refrigerators that fall off delivery trucks without their taxi cabs careening off a bridge and into the icy depths of the river. Luckily for the passenger's sake, Gina is strong, every bit a man's equal in an emergency. With no time to waste, the cabbie frees herself from the sinking car and somehow has the presence of mind to save her wayfarer, Dr. Martin Harris, a botanist, who is in Berlin for a biotechnology conference, but at the moment of impact, is in a heap of trouble. As the Spree River diversifies its body into the rapidly-filling cab, Gina, going all Lou Ferrigno on us, bashes in the rear window with a car jack and pulls the doctor out of the reappropriated vehicle, then carries him to the surface despite being, undoubtedly, dazes herself from the crash, and considerably smaller than her hulk-ish fare. The rescue has such an over-the-top quality, it borders on wishful thinking, perhaps, a psychical emanation pouring out of the drowning botanist's mind. Maybe Martin is dead; maybe he never escapes his watery grave, a narrative ploy used to great effect in Herk Harvey's 1962 cult classic "Carnival of Souls", where a young woman emerges from the muddy waters on her own volition without realizing that she's dead. People see Martin, accepting the man as corporeal, just as people saw Mary Henry, with the exception that she's the right woman, whereas he's the wrong man. Like the church organist, could he be dead, as well? The moviegoer doesn't quite know what to think when Martin is deemed unrecognizable by his trophy wife and made to be non-existent with the presence of a replacement, also named Martin Harris, who has the nametag to prove it. Is Martin A in a parallel universe, or quite possibly, an amnesiac sitting in a padded cell at some mental institution, concocting a thriller of his own making? Throughout "Carnival of Souls", Mary is hounded by "The Man", an apparition seen through her eyes alone, and likewise, in "Unknown", an undefined man pursues Martin, making his first appearance in the tube, and the moviegoer can't know for certain if this slow-footed attacker really exists. At the hospital, Martin's stalker violently disposes of his kindly nurse(the doctor is killed off-screen), but maybe the bespectacled killer is a man-made manifestation, maybe "Unknown" is a "Fight Club for Botanists". What are the rules of the film, we ask. It's not until Gina can account for the hitman's tangibility, in which he and another hired man descend on her "quaint" apartment, do we start to rule out the notion that Martin suffers from a malady of the discognitive sort. He's sane, we think. It's not him, after all, it's them; they're responsible for this pell-mell, so in light of Martin's sanity being confirmed through a second pair of eyes, the man at the biotech symposium claiming to be Dr. Martin Harris must certainly be an impostor, right? Yes, but neither is "Martin" the preeminent science, a revelation that arrives later than it ought to, because the medical staff, Gina, and especially Ernst Jurgen, an ex-Stasi agent, who must know a thing or two about stringent interrogations, never ask Martin any questions, relative to his professional or personal life, that would expedite the so-called scientist's progress on the road to self-discovery. Good as the scene between Ganz and Frank Langella may be, it has a gravitas that the comparably lightweight thriller doesn't really deserve, in which the resumed rivalry among the opposing coldwar era communist superpower stalwarts almost comes out of left field. To me, the centerpiece scene should involve your star, but instead of sparring with words, Neeson's big turn isn't an acting one, but instead, is action-based when he goes mano-a-mano with a barely recognizable Aidan Quinn. "I didn't forget everything. I remember how to kill you," Martin A tells Martin B, but in fact, he does forget quite a lot. Although this man and woman aren't husband and wife, they are quite in love, cold-blooded assassins with tender feelings for each other. When our Martin calls the other Martin in the Eisenhower Suite(in the 2003 Didier Van Cauwelaert novel "Out of My Head", it's his home), we see Liz in the background, lounging on the bed, without a second pillow, indicating that she and this new guy are sleeping in different rooms. She's monogamous. The sequence that takes us from the airport to the hotel where the assassins masquerade as a loving couple, to a great extent, is no masquerade, at all. Our nowhere man forgets this. At the museum, the hired man receives the hired woman's kiss because he feels obliged to, believing Liz to be his lawful wedded wife. He's acting; she's not. She says, "I love you." It's not part of the script. Nobody is watching them. One day, when this man fully recovers his memory, he'll realize, in hindsight, that the feeling was mutual. Expand
  18. Mar 12, 2011
    I honestly don't understand the negative reviews for this film. It is a very good thriller, and although the plot is 'out there', it is fully credible. Plus, the casting was great, the twists and turns were unexpected, and the reveals were both shocking and fun. Liam was very good, as was January Jones. It was nice to see her in a deeper role than her Betty Draper role on Mad Men, plus it was fun to watch the depth of her role progress as more was revealed. Great Job. Those who panned this may well have a genetic flaw. Expand
  19. Feb 20, 2011
    Liam Neeson stars as an American doctor in Berlin for a meeting, who's in a splashy accident. That's only the beginning of his troubles. He discovers that his wife doesn't recognize him and his identity has been usurped. Needless to say, paranoia, violence and car chases ensue. While it's acceptably intriguing, nothing about the suspense or action is particularly distinctive. Basically, it's a mild imitation of **** Expand
  20. Mar 13, 2011
    Didn't see anything wrong with it, good twist along with good acting.
  21. Mar 11, 2011
    Very intelligent movie. It kept me thinking what will happen next. I was so into it that I wanted so badly to see the ending. Liam Neeson delivered a great performance and he was awesome. There were some twists in the plot that surprised me, which I haven't saw for a long time in a movie. But I still feel like there's something missing in the movie, I'm not sure what. Anyway, it's a good one.
  22. Mar 16, 2011
    emm good movie not the best, the worst movie either, entertaining but not memorable ... I found it a good movie in the end of normal, it reminded me Burn trilogy .. only highlight is the dismal performance of January Jones
  23. Jul 6, 2011
  24. Mar 26, 2011
    It has a surprising and interesting way of revealing the plot, but it's one of those cases where you say: great idea, if it hasn't been done before. Let's just say it's a clever "update" on Bourne Identity. What is bad about it are the unconvincing attitudes of the characters: spies are highly trained, they don't simply do very dumb things unadvertedly. Anyways, the cliche-types of CIA agents are all there and after the first hour it goes down and somewhere we've already been in. Expand
  25. Aug 20, 2011
    The ending is unsatisfying, the pacing is off at points, and there is a lack of excitement to some degree, but Unknown's strong cast, including Liam Neeson, thrilling action, and second half to make up for some of its shortcomings. This movie is recommendable, but only a very small recommendation.
  26. Mar 17, 2011
    Stylish, sexy and witty, till you realize "Hey, I've seen this before"
  27. Feb 23, 2011
    I agree that the movie was overblown at times and there were too many "coincidences" and episodes where the bad guys seemed to know where everyone was going to be at all times, but much of that makes sense at the end when we discover the true history of the Liam Neeson character. I thought it was fun guessing at the motivations of the characters and the action sequences were filmed in a way that put you right in the middle of the action. So, I'm usually a tougher critic, but I think it was an entertaining couple of hours. Expand
  28. Feb 26, 2011
    Liam continues his awesome Taken streak of total action in this movie. The suspense lasts through out the whole move and the car chases are extreme! I can easily say one of the best actions movies in a long time! I rarely get any time to relax or do anything recreational, and I can easily say- this was time well invested. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes any kind of action movie, Mercedes car chases, and intense suspense! Expand
  29. Mar 1, 2011
    Very poorly conceived plot with gaping holes and poor dialogue. It had all the required car chases, assassins, etc. but not worth the celluloid in the end.
  30. Mar 2, 2011
    This movie is nothing more than a poorly executed Bourne Identity knock off. On top of throwing in every generic action movie cliche, including a bomb with a digital countdown clock and an over the top car chase scene, it was also full of plot holes, and the characters were so flat I couldn't be bothered to care about them in the slightest. The ending scene was fairly cool, but other than that, this was just another bland action movie. Sad to see an actor as good as Liam taking roles like this. Expand
  31. Mar 4, 2011
  32. Mar 27, 2011
    diane kruger was great in this movie. she did her accent very well.
    however, the plot was similar to the bourne series, which was a bit disappointing....
  33. May 14, 2011
    Don't listen to critics. I dont know why they think they are right about every film. This movie is terrific entertainment. The twist wasn't complicated and the action was well done. Its only meant to be a action movie. Its not trying to be an academy award winner
  34. Oct 2, 2011
    "Unknown" presents a profound problem to its subject, a man whose life was stolen; how can you claim that you yourself is you? The question molds the movie into somewhat a french noir for the moment, but it ends up as a action movie with a decent plot twist. However I'm surprised that Liam Neeson, a man whose almost 60 now, can still be a (tall) badass with a pistol fighting with skills. Meh, he'll get old soon. R) 5.4 Expand
  35. Mar 1, 2011
    The movie kept the audience on the edge of its seat until the last 15 minutes. The ending is so preposterous and disjointed that it ruins everything you saw before. You leave the theater shaking your head in disbelief because nothing makes any sense. Without providing any specific spoilers in the details - the guy you thought was a humbel good guy is really a bad guy. And just like in professional wrestling he now turns good guy, but for what reason? And he just waltzes away past the authorities without a care in the wold although they have pictures of him? C'mon! What the hell was the director thinking? Expand
  36. Oct 31, 2011
    It manages to not be boring, but very little else. It's rare a movie this dumb this itself this seriously. There isn't a grain of camp or even a slight chuckle to counter the serious insipidness.
  37. Mar 12, 2011
    "Unknown for what it is .. is a decent not so thrilling adventure .. with a flawless plot twist. Liam Neeson does not feel well suited for this role. More or less a disappointing but somewhat satisfying thriller .which is not saying much" .. C-
  38. Jan 7, 2012
    I can't help but feeling that this film was made to cash in the success of "Taken". And although there were elements to make it interesting, in isolation this film would seem less significant.
  39. Jan 20, 2013
  40. Feb 22, 2011
    I'm giving this movie a pass because it held my attention the entire movie and I enjoyed the Berlin setting. It is not a perfect movie, however. There are too many unbelievable coincidences that will make you roll your eyes in disbelief. The action sequences were filmed very poorly (over-edited so badly you couldn't tell what was going on, especially the man-to-man combats). However, Liem Neeson was very good and I liked the "twist" when we find out about his confusion over his identification. I actually did not guess what the twist would be and I enjoyed it. I liked "Taken" better than this one, but still liked "Unknown" enough to recommend it. Expand
  41. Feb 27, 2011
    Please if you want to read good reviews go to CriticSpot -
  42. May 26, 2011
    I really enjoyed this movie. If you like the "Bourne" series or "Taken" with a bit less action then this is for you. I don't understand why it has not got higher ratings. The story starts well then goes a bit slower in the middle but I enjoyed the twists and the ending. Liam Neeson is again on form and its worth watching for his performance alone.
  43. Apr 22, 2011
    entertaining, interesting, keeps your attention. critics suck because they pay attention to things that don't matter. if you want to watch a movie that's fun and fast paced, this is a good one. it's not earth shattering but it's definitely worth your time if you like action thrillers.
  44. Mar 11, 2011
    An average movie, with an average plot, average characters, and average acting. Frank Langella shows up halfway through to steal some scenes, but it isn't enough to lift the rest of the film up.

    And Hollywood, stop doing super-slo-mo shots of the characters during car crashes, please. Inception did it best. The end.
  45. Mar 12, 2011
    RECYCLING IN HOLLYWOOD, in a industry that should be cutting edge new. This movie takes old suspense plots, dialogues and contrived twists, to churn out a UNUSABLE product. Like a bad pick up line in a bar! OH! by the way good looking babe, 20 years younger that me," I am really a super talented secret agent, but have lost my memory, but am really a good guy, with a soft side. Can you help me?"> Whatever dude! The acting started out good for the first 5 minutes, then lost all continuity as the recycling process began to churn. AND the major plot holes, with all the supposed pre-planning, his blown cover, the inept police, no passport, and customs agents that hand over a bag with explosives, Liam goes around the city, as if he had a free pass to anything. Another one man Rambo ego movie that can take on the world. REALLY? The Final Insult! All that to prevent some scientist from giving the world a strain of corn to feed the hungry nations. If he really wanted to give the world a new corn strain, just post it on the net and all the rest is just mute, we wouldn't have to sit through another pile of rotting corn husk! Expand
  46. Mar 19, 2011
    Nice little action movie. Entertaining. Not memorable. It was ok. It is not Taken. I believe Taken was better, unpretentious. You could wait to rent it.
  47. Jun 5, 2011
    An interesting yet intriguing film. Having seen how tremendous Taken turned out to be and how superb Liam Neeson was I had high expectations heading into Unknown. The plot was enticing - Doctor Martin Harris (Neeson) awakes from a coma having been in a car crash only to discover that his wife (January Jones) doesn't recognize him and that another man has assumed his identity. A clever idea and one which initially plays out pretty well. Harris on the search to find out exactly who he is and what happened. This builds up the intense and mystery elements within the film. Along the way Diane Krugers character Gina becomes more involved and her performance is fantastic as an illegal immegrant caught up amongst Harris' troubles. Unfortunately the work done to add the mystery and intense side become overshadowed as the film loses its way at times and there are some sequences that just don't quite fit in with the way the film was planning out. The ending for me was rather cheap in what what overall a fairly decent thriller. It made it into yet another conspiracy theory with a secret organization but somewhat confusing given the fact that Neeson's character hadn't shown any signs or had any incline to believe he was an assassin, it was trying to pull a Bourne Identity on the viewer and i'm sure I wasn't the only person left feeling disappointed with the ending. Overall, Unknown is by no means a bad film its an enjoyable and interesting film that starts off promising good things but gradually loses its way and even Liam Neeson at his best at times cannot get away from the disappointment it was a missed oppertunity. Expand
  48. Mar 23, 2011
    Is snuff real? The guys at Renegade certainly treat it as it is. Do yo ureally want to know? This is some of the most scary stuff out there. Find out at renegade dot cm. You can also find their videos on youtube -- you need to search for renegade snuff movie.
  49. May 25, 2011
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Who writes screenplays like this? Excited 12-year olds? It tried to be the Bourne Identity but ended up being a mix of every clichÃ© from every 'tough guy against the world' movie ever made. The fight sequences were dull and involved the camera moving more than the fighters. The car chases were dull and unbelievable - you can't keep driving down crowded pavements and never hit anyone. Well, unless they are trained stunt people who keep flamboyantly diving out of the way!

    At one point the hero is drugged and stumbling down a hospital corridor (this doesn't seem to bother any hospital staff) - but still manages to outrun the bad guy who was just a few metres behind him. Ludicrous!

    Towards the end the hero is kidnapped. Heroine steals a taxi to give chase (with yet more driving across pavement while stunt people flamboyantly jump out of the way). She somehow spots the hero being beaten up on the top storey of a distant car park as she drives down a road. What?! Did she hear them from half a km away while in a car with windows wound up? Does she have super vision? Ridiculous!

    It gets worse. She drives up the multi-storey car park via one of those circular, winding ramps. Ever been on one? A car makes lots of noise as the tyres squeal to make the turn. Heroine drives all the way to the top without the bad guys noticing. Maybe they were all deaf? She then runs one over and pushes the other off the edge of the car park in his van. It explodes on impact. Haven't the screenplay writers watched The Simpsons mock the clichÃ© of exploding cars? Laughable!

    Finally, having been involved in multiple murders, multiple demolition derby car chases, an exploding hotel and being detained by security and police, they calmly get on a train together and disappear as though nothing had happened. Unbelievable!

    I gave this film 3 - but that's generous. The premise for the film was OK, but the screenplay and direction were below amateur.
  50. Jun 8, 2011
    The mystery and suspense is there but it takes a backseat to random action. Clues are given randomly and huge gaps in story line are treated with explosions and gun fights to continue the viewers interest. Overall this film is just trying to hard to be TAKEN and the plot just isn't as good.
  51. Jul 2, 2011
    I thought Unknown was a fairly good film and one that definitely retained the atmosphere one would come to expect associated with an action thriller starring Liam Neeson. Although not as engaging as Taken, the film still managed to deliver in most departments. The action and suspense had me entertained to the very end, which did not leave me disappointed. The storyline was relatively solid and the twists just as much so. This film is yet another positive example of modern action thriller, and in saying so I recommend it to fans of the genre in general. Expand
  52. Jun 17, 2011
    While not Liam Neeson's best, the role does suit him well. A mysterious thriller movie, I definitely was pretty stunned by the outcome of the conflict. The movie did a great job of keeping details skewed enough but not too vague in order to keep the watcher hooked. Although some of the details didn't add up once the secret was revealed, most of the movie was actually pretty believable. Definitely recommend watching at least once. Expand
  53. Jun 25, 2011
    Very entertaining movie. The filming reminds me of the movie ''Taken'' (also with Liam Neeson). Very intriguing plot with superb actor screenplay. Do not expect the movie of the year but it's worth the listening.
  54. Jul 23, 2011
    Unknown is an alright film. The story can be interesting and some scens are really cool. Problems with this film is alot of things in the film didnt really make senese at all and there are films that ive seen that are better then this. I would give this film a high rental.
  55. Jul 31, 2011
    I created a user name just to speak publicly about a movie that, I feel, is a cheap and mindless pile of garbage. The "Unknown" viewing experience goes like this: Liam Neeson flails around Berlin for about 1.5 hours telling everyone within five feet that he is who he says he his, then there is 0.5 hours worth of mildly discernible plot, then the movie ends. While those things happen, we hear Neeson deliver lines like "I'M DOCTOR MARTIN HARRIS" and "THIS MAN IS NOT DOCTOR MARTIN HARRIS" and "I remember how to kill you, **** We watch Frank Langella play Frank Langella. We watch January Jones use her brain to create sound with her throat and mouth, then explode (the highlight of the film, far and away, is watching January Jones explode). It's a crappy movie! Rating: Not Very Good! Expand
  56. Aug 1, 2011
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This film is yet another story of how a well made trailer can trick you into thinking itâ Expand
  57. Aug 19, 2011
    It was awesome ! Liam Neeson did it again ! A suspense full thriller just as i thought it would be ! The whole movie is a combination of every thing what a film needs . Story was good , directing was very good , acting was Top class . Diane did a very good job . and Liam was like always ! Story : 1.6/2 [Good story]
    Directing : 1.6/2 [Well directed]
    Acting :1.8/2 [Liam and Diane was
    Sound :1.5/2 [Good]
    Edit & Effect :1.5/2 [Good]
    OVERALL : 8/10
  58. Aug 23, 2011
    Il est dommage de faire la comparaison avec Jason Bourne dÃ¨s la bande-annonce, tant ce dÃ©tail peut gÃ¢cher le suspense. Et bien qu'il soit infÃ©rieur Ã  la trilogie et Ã  Taken, Sans IdentitÃ© s'en sort quand mÃªme avec un scÃ©nario dÃ©jÃ  vu (pour les grosses ficelles) mais intelligent, prenant et palpitant; de bons acteurs et surtout une mise en scÃ¨ne dynamique. Expand
  59. Oct 28, 2011
    Good movie! The plot seemed similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1990 science - fiction action movie, Total Recall. If you were to change sci-fi action thriller to foreign intrigued mystery action thriller, change locations, Mars to Berlin, change Ronny Cox to Frank Langella, change free oxygen for all on Mars to lower cost corn development on Earth and change revolutionary hero, Quato to revolutionary scientist, Dr. Bessler. As for Unknown.....the plot is so full of huge holes it simply falls apart, but if you are not a keen viewer; you would simple enjoy whats going on... and in the end I still enjoy it and can quote "Good thriller, but don't go in expecting more than Taken" Expand
  60. Nov 16, 2011
    Haven't seen a good movie like this in a while. Regardless of the amount of plot twisting, it still keeps you on track and everything is explained smoothly. Definitely a movie worth watching!
  61. Dec 8, 2011
    While Unknown ultimately relies on several action movie cliches to make its way to the conclusion, it also manages to become less of a cliche than most action films being produced today. Slick and interesting camera angles, terrific use of different colors and lighting schemes to perfectly match the tone, and all around outstanding special effects bring some of the most thrilling car chases and most expertly edited flashback scenes in recent memory. With a grand performance by Liam Neesson, this film is a rare treat: an action movie that is more than just cheap thrills, but dramatic and character oriented with a wonderful twist ending to boot. Expand
  62. Dec 29, 2011
    In my opinion this is a good movie, but nothing more than that. The beginning of the film goes perfect, it has a great flow, but that flow dissapears after a while. The story seemed to be new, original, but it didn't have a surprising end which I regret badly. Ofcourse there isn't much to say about the actors. A top cast, good playing, especially January Jones. I guess she will be seen often in the future. I really liked the music, it suited the film perfectly, lifted up the tempo when needed. Despite the fact that the plot is a litte bit clichÃ©, this film, is quite good. Expand
  63. Jan 17, 2012
    God awful drag of a movie. Slow, static, one dimensional characters you don't care about. 2 hours I'll never get back. I read a critic called this film stylish too. What? Stylish like a European Hooker?
  64. Aug 21, 2012
    A poor Bourne rip off, with bad writing, weak plot and generally cheesy acting.

    Some okay action, and mystery keeps the viewers attention. But overall I was just waiting for it to finish.
  65. Feb 6, 2012
    This is alot like Taken, but in my opinion not as good. If you liked Taken you will like Unknown, and vise-versa.
  66. Feb 7, 2012
    A very entertaining thriller that keeps you guessing about motives until the very end. Liam Neeson puts in a fine performance and there is enough action to keep just about every movie goer amused.
  67. Aug 22, 2012
    An interesting plot, and a somewhat original delivery in what I expected to be a standard action-thriller. Liam Neeson is as good as ever, but in all honesty I unwound the plot in my head within the first 15 minutes. Without intending to demean intelligence, but if you are a very logical thinker you probably will have a similar experience as I did. Other people may enjoy this movie, if only once. Expand
  68. Feb 17, 2013
    Unknown is a cleaver thrill ride that makes you think and keeps you entertained from start to finish. The key to these kinds of movies is the explanation, can't be to extreme and can't be stupid. I say Unknown sits right in the middle.
  69. Aug 31, 2012
    The movie was solid up until the ending which I was dissatisfied with. I enjoyed the characters. It was one of the much better mystery suspense thrillers I have seen though.
  70. Nov 16, 2012
    Thriller muy interesante, en el que se mantiene en todo momento el interés por saber por qué Liam Nesson está siendo engañado. Historia muy bien construída. Nos enseña el poder de la mente, y cómo nuestra ética puede cambiar cuando nuestra mente no nos dirige. Buenos personajes, Nesson, su esposa, la taxista, el detective, los "malos".
    Muy recomendable.
  71. Jan 22, 2013
    A great thriller that will have you intrigued until the end.
  72. Nov 7, 2012
    America seems pretty hellbent on watching Liam Neeson kill foreigners. This thriller doesn't have any thrills, that's for sure. What it does have is an incoherent plot worsened by sloppy execution.
  73. Nov 28, 2012
    Even the eternally awesome Liam Neeson only just saves this pretty pointless film and its eventual disappoint of a twist from complete failure.
  74. Dec 7, 2012
    I really liked this. After Liam Neeson's work in Taken, I was excited for his next action movie...he's become quite the action star. Unknown did not disappoint, even despite some annoying flaws. There are really only 3 things that bothered me about this film: 1) January Jones cannot act. She's as wooden as a board in every scene...same as her role X-Men First Class. 2) Some of the things Neeson's character forgets and remembers is silly and "convenient" for my taste. I get that he had memory loss, but I don't like it when films take advantage of that fact to force an interesting plot. 3) The ending was a bit much...if I can forgive a "convenient" story line, the least you can do is give me a strong, original ending. I've seen it before. Other than those things I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The action was great; the locations were great. I liked most of the actors. A pretty solid action thriller...I recommend it! Expand
  75. Dec 7, 2013
  76. Jun 11, 2013
    The trailer seemed good. The movie was Ok. I didn't really like the ending. It was predictable and it didn't really make any sense. That's sad as the plot is not that bad( expect the ending)

Mixed or average reviews - based on 38 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 38
  2. Negative: 3 out of 38
  1. Reviewed by: David Denby
    Feb 28, 2011
    Not even Neeson, with his strength and his wounded-giant vulnerability, can prevent our interest in Unknown from sliding into contempt.
  2. Reviewed by: Kimberley Jones
    Feb 24, 2011
  3. Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    Feb 21, 2011