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IDENTITY
Review by Gordon Justesen
Stars:
John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, John Hawkes, Alfred Molina, Clea Duvall,
John C. McGinley, William Lee Scott, Jake Busey, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Rebecca
DeMornay
Director: James Mangold
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Surround
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1, Full Screen 1.33:1
Studio: Columbia Tri Star
Features: See Review
Length: 90 Minutes
Release Date: September 2, 2003
“What
happened at the motel?”
“People
started dying.”
Film
****
Is
it ever possible that a movie can be both scary and smart at the same time?
After watching Identity, I can
certainly say that it is. It is a purely exhilarating mixture of psychological
suspense and slasher horror that I believe would make Hitchcock proud of the
genre he helped to create. It’s not everyday you see a movie of this sort with
such a strong ensemble cast. Most of today’s scare fare, even the good ones,
include a cast of young and unknown teen actors. Not that there’s anything
wrong with that, but it just made me happy that some gifted heavy duty actors
climbed on board to give this project a shot.
The
most intriguing aspect of the film, and it has many, is the way the screenplay
plays a strong trick on the audience. The first two quarters of the movie
include something of a traditional scary movie setup; along with a few
traditional lines of dialogue you have a good chance of hearing in almost every
film in this genre. Yet, by the time you find yourself scratching your head
thinking if the film is way too formulaic, a jolt of a plot twist explodes
before you, and you realize how unique and original the movie really is.
There’s rarely been a mainstream movie to execute such a tricky move. In
addition, the script manages to be just as clever with its formulaic
appearances.
“As
I was going up the stairs…”
Set
on a dark and extremely stormy night, somewhere in Nevada, a group of
individuals find themselves stranded at a desert based motel due to flooding of
all nearby exit routes. A clever dose of exposition is done to reveal that all
of the characters possibly met through fate, in the form of a fatal automobile
accident. The characters consists of limo driver and ex-cop Ed (John Cusack),
who’s driving washed up film star Caroline Suzanne (Rebecca DeMornay) to L.A.,
Paris (Amanda Peet) a street smart call girl looking to start her life over in
the town she grew up, Lou (William Lee Scott) and Ginny (Clea Duvall) are a
just-married couple but don’t seem happy under the circumstances, slow-witted
George (John C. McGinley) who carries with him a mute stepson and a wife, who
was injured in the accident. In addition, there’s the motel owner, Larry (John
Hawkes), and Rhodes (Ray Liotta), a cop transporting a convicted killer (Jake
Busey).
As
the endlessly rainy night proceeds, a series of grisly murders start to take
place, and the ten strangers find themselves being picked off one by one. A few
victims down the line, they begin to question one another’s background and
motives, as any one of them could indeed be the killer. When the survivors
realize a similar pattern in the killings, they soon discover that this is quite
possibly an unsolvable puzzle of horrific proportions.
“…I
met a man who wasn’t there...”
Meanwhile,
in a parallel plotline, a psychiatrist (Alfred Molina) is requesting a stay of
execution of mental patient Malcolm Rivers (Pruitt Taylor Vince). As Malcolm is
scheduled to be executed in 24 hours, for a series of killings that he was found
guilty of, the shrink has rightly demanded a delay due to newly found evidence
that could very well prove the patient to be insane. A judge grants a spur of
the moment hearing 11 hours prior to the scheduled execution for the doctor to
prove his case.
I
can absolutely risk no more plot revelation, as I’ve already felt as if I’ve
revealed too much already. I will say that the movie masters a remarkable
maneuver in revealing its many twists. At about an hour into the movie, you get
the feeling as though you have been thrown to one side of the room, and about
five minutes later, thrown to the other side and so on. That’s the feeling of
experiencing this one of a kind chiller, all the way to the utterly mind blowing
shocker of an ending. To give you an idea of how blown away I was by the ending,
I rank it right up there with that of the closing of Sleepaway
Camp.
“…he
wasn’t there again today…”
Director
James Mangold and screenwriter Michael Cooney should be given endless credit for
weaving together such a unique and chilling nailbiter. Mangold, who directed Cop
Land and Girl, Interrupted, had
never made this kind of movie before. As for Cooney, he had a bit of experience
in the genre, as he penned and directed the direct-to-video schlock horror
movies Jack Frost and Jack Frost 2. I guess it’s safe to assume that given their track
record, one making heartfelt dramas and the other intentionally corny horror
flicks, you wouldn’t expect the two to deliver something in the form of Identity,
but did they ever pull it off?
As
mentioned earlier, you know that a genre picture like this has to have something
going for it when it has attracted some of the best talent in the biz. In Identity,
this ensemble line up represents the real deal, as each actor delivers the
individual goods. John Cusack is pitch-perfect as the guilt ridden limo driver
whose predicament forces him to face his doomed past as a cop. The big scene
stealer of the movie is John Hawkes as the paranoia-fueled motel manager, who
always seems like two cards shy of a full deck, and with good reason. Ray Liotta
it at his usual manic best, and let me just say for the record that the sight of
Rebecca DeMornay was something of a plus for me. I certainly hope that this is
an indication of future appearances from her.
“…I
wish, I wish he’d go away.”
To
sum it all up right on the dot, Identity
is the ultimate fix for fans of both psychological suspense and horror movie
buffs. Of all the mainstream scare fare released over the last several years,
this one easily gets my vote as the top pick of the crop in terms of being
stylish, clever, and bone-chillingly frightening. Indeed, one of the year’s
very best films.
Video
****
Columbia
Tri Star is experiencing, as always, a marvelous year for top flight all around
quality discs, and Identity soars on
every level. Starting with fantastic video job, which is in much consideration
for top choice for the next DMC Awards, as far as I’m concerned. The
anamorphic picture (a full screen version is also included) absorbs every last
aspect of the frame of the picture. Taking place entirely at night, with a few
daytime sequences on the side, the picture never manages to let up for a single
second, delivering endless crispness and clarity for all 90 minutes. Colors, as
always, are a hundred percent natural and alive. Without a doubt, one of the
best looking discs of 2003!
Audio
****
When
seeing this in the theater, I knew this was going to sound incredible on DVD,
and I had never been so right. The sound of rain and thunder have never had more
of a presence than in this film, and the 5.1 mix does a remarkable job of
delivering the sound effects so convincingly, that it seems as if it’s
happening right outside your home. My cohort, Mike, had informed me that this is
the best audio track he’s heard this year thus far, and I am in total
agreement with him. This presentation delivers in everyway possible, be it
dialogue, musical score, and especially in moments of jolting terror. High marks
all the way!
Features
****
Columbia
Tri Star never holds a thing back when it comes to their Special Edition titles,
and Identity contains a first from the
studio. The highlight extra is an optional branched version of the movie that
includes an extra scene, as well as an alternate ending (This version can only
be viewed with the widescreen version). Commentary by director James Mangold is
included, on both versions of the movie. Additional extras include deleted
scenes with optional commentary, storyboard comparisons, a Starz On the Set
making-of featurette, a trailer, and selected filmographies.
Summary:
