Identity (2003)

Such a frustrating disappointment

From my favorite movies..

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Blistering performances.

The atmosphere, good cast, great story, and other things that I won't say to spoil it.

Just impossible to tell ANYTHING about this movie. You shouldnt read ANY spoilers because everything is depending on the plot of the story.Great acting from John Cusack, Ray Liotta and some excellent supporting actors. Suspensefull camerawork. Eerie dark music. Add a who dunnit story and you have got "Identity".When I am doubting if I wanna see a movie I usually check the director's other work and in this case that was the key reason to go see "Identity" because director James Mangold made: "Heavy" with Liv Taylor, "Copland" with Robert de Niro, Harvey Keitel, "Walk the Line" with Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. All of James Mangolds movies are excellent. Although I must admit that "Identity" has a rather cheesy slasher side to it that wasnt in his other pictures, but judging "Identity" as a cheesy slasher movie it is good and really enjoyable. James Mangold also made "Logan" recently. If you liked that you will probably like this as well.I really can recommend this movie if you wanna see a dark full on suspense movie with a great whodunnit theme. I give it a well deserved 7. Great popcornmovie!

PROS: This movie was such an amazing find. To start off, the way the characters interacted was unbelievably thought out and intricate. There wasn't a single actor that didn't do or say something without a purpose. The way everything was strung together, from character interaction to plot lines, was completely flawless. You were never bored and you were never directly given any answer. What I really like is when you are forced to think with the characters, not for them. It allows the watcher to become invested in the film. Not only was I invested for some of the film, but I was captivated by the whole film from beginning to end. There wasn't a single scene that dragged or didn't have a purpose. This includes the resolution which, if I might add, was the best ending to any movie I've seen in the past month. The last thing that I'll add was how spectacular the actors were. I loved the cast and the raw emotion that they showed. With such a large cast it's hard to find a good actor for each role, but IDENTITY did that.CONS: This con might not seem like a big deal, but it is very important to me. The trailer was very poorly put together. I pick which movies I watch based on trailers, and I almost didn't pick this one because of its poor editing and plot description. It's not important to everyone, but I review films from on screen to off screen, and the trailer is what sells, therefore I must review that too.www.chorror.com

AT face value, the conceit of this film seems like the set-up for every suspense picture ever made: A dark and stormy night, a collection of characters who congregate at a gloomy motel, and one by one they start dying off. While the film performs well inside of that characterization, it forgoes the traditional "reveal of the killer" in the end in favor of a much more mind-bending conclusion.To not spoil things for the masses, the amazing twist near the end is roughly akin to what the TV show LOST has done over the span of six years. When LOST first started, creator JJ Abrams tricked us into thinking it was a show about a group of plane crash-ees trying to survive on an island. Six years later, the show is dealing with time-travel and the entire fate of civilization. Though "Identity" doesn't quite go THAT far, it follows a similar tract by not even closely resembling (at the end) the movie you thought you were watching in the beginning.What keeps this movie from just being a curiosity, though, is that even after the jaw-dropping reveal, it still manages to wrap up the pseudo-plot line quite nicely. Basically, you can still be satisfied with the film even if the shocking ending doesn't do it for you.Thus, if you are a fan of mystery/suspense thrillers and revel in big twists at the end, you will watch almost the entire final credits in a state of shock. Plus, even if you don't like huge plot surprises, the "fake' storyline will still keep you on the edge of your seat.