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Overall Rating
  Awesome: 29.89%
Worth A Look: 31.61%
Average: 13.22%
Pretty Bad: 13.79%
Total Crap: 11.49%
9 reviews, 120 user ratings
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| Identity |
by Brian McKay
"IDENTITY could almost be Mistaken for a solid thriller - until it implodes"
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What was at first one of the most anticipated films of the past year also ended up being the most disappointing by many accounts - and I wish I could say that this one were going to be different. I waited to see IDENTITY after all of the mixed word of mouth, only to realize that I could have just kept on waiting.This was the kind of movie that, while not re-defining the thriller genre, could have at least been a serious standout. It had a great premise - ten diverse characters find themselves stranded at a derelict-looking motel during torrential rains and flash flooding. Cell phones can't get a signal, regular phones are out, and electricity isn't too far behind them.
Throw a sleazy cop (Ray Liotta), a righteous ex-cop (John Cusack), a convicted killer (Jake Busey, who looks so much like his old man that I am convinced he is actually a clone), an ex-prostitute looking to make a fresh start (Amanda Peet), a washed up actress (Rebecca de Mornay), and a few others into the mix, and then have people start getting bumped off in grisly and sundry ways, and you've got yourself the makings of a solid slasher flick. Throw in a script that is halfway clever (despite the abundance of cliches) and sets up a nice chain of causality and a generous smattering of unmistakably Hitchkockian flourishes, fronted by two dependably entertaining leads like Cusack and Liotta, and you have yourself the makings of really good thriller. Even the obvious red herrings that hinted at a "supernatural" presence couldn't dissuade me from enjoying the first forty five minutes or so of Identity.
But this film's cardinal sin was not that it had an engrossing but extremely far-fetched setup to a lackluster resolution - a resolution that probably sounded good during the initial script pitch, but which nobody realized was going to be such a misfire until the production was already at the point of no return. Even so - the twist could have worked.
No, what Identity is guilty of most is bad timing - it simply gives away too much, too soon. At about the halfway mark (if not much sooner), the film's big "twist" will finally dawn on you (and if it doesn't, they'll end up coming right out and saying it five minutes later anyway). And once it does, you will no longer care what happens afterward. Had the film played its cards closer to its chest and saved the revelations for the final frames, It might have been surprising and potent enough to earn a respectful "Holy shit!" from the average viewer. Instead, it gives you a savory first course, then rudely dumps seconds on your plate, even though you've already lost your appetite.I'd like to say that IDENTITY suffers from bad timing, but the truth is it suffers from bad choices on the part of the writer and director. Any horror/thriller filmmakers worth their salt should know that you have to reserve the really big shocks for the end - you have to hold something back for "Winning Time". IDENTITY just promises us an exciting night at the love motel, before running out of gas and walking away while we beg for a consolatory hand job.
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link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=7563&reviewer=258
originally posted: 09/05/03 12:43:11
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USA
25-Apr-2003 (R)
UK
N/A
Australia
31-Jul-2003
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