Genres

Visitors Review

madame_jay 2012-05-21 00:17:03

Great!

Reeeeally good. The fact that John Cusack is in it is always enough formeto want to see it. This guy is highly under-rated. Good story. Goodtwistat the end. Plays with your head. Just the kind of escapism I like in agood movie.

carmona-ac 2012-05-20 15:13:05

Really interesting!

This film, although at times predictable, followed a very uniquestyle.Considering this film was written by the same writer of Jack Frost, itwasvery well done and very well executed on the Big Screen!The plot and storyline were very interesting and very exciting tofollow,I was impressed at the twists and turns taken by the script. There werenospectacular Oscar performances by the actors, but hey, what does theAcademyknow right?I was impressed with the acting of all characters and each one addedtothe ever growing character of Larry! They all did a recognizablejob!Surprisingly enough, Rebecca DeMornay though not immediatelyrecognized,did well in her short lived role.I give this film five Texas sized stars out of 6. It is definitelyworthseeing and contemplating!

2012-05-19 17:43:26

Contrived ending ruins an interesting strory

This 2003 film is a mystery as well as a horror film. Ten strangers are stranded in a desolate motel on a stormy night. One by one they are getting murdered. It's a classic mystery as the guilt seems to fall on several characters. There's also an interconnected story about a murderer whose psychiatrist is trying to get a last minute reprieve. John Cusack plays the part of a limousine driver who has once been a cop. Ray Liotta plays a cop who's transporting a prisoner. There's also a newly married couple who argue a lot, a prostitute who's giving up her way of life and another woman who's been injured in a accident as well as her husband and young son who never speaks a word. There's also a strange motel clerk with secrets of his own.But this is not a usual "whodunit". No way. The connection between the individuals in the motel is much stranger than that. And when this connection is finally revealed, I was annoyed. To my humble tastes, it was too contrived as it wanders into the unknown realms of the human psyche.Yes, it held my interest. Yes, there was some good acting. But I hated the ending and felt the writer had played a rotten trick on the audience. That's why I can only give this film a lukewarm recommendation.

2012-05-19 03:10:46

They didn't cheat

This review is from: Identity (DVD) Although I can understand why some other viewers either hated it or were put off by it, I must say that I haven't seen a movie that made me think so much while watching it since The Sixth Sense.Hold on! Yes - The Sixth Sense is a classic, Identity isn't, but the truth is I'm glad I saw it, which is more than I can say for most of the other movies I have seen recently.I must say that halfway through the movie, I started getting apprehensive about how they were going to explain everything, I was actually expecting to get an ending that would have been both ludicrous and off-putting.It was neither. The ending made sense plus it had been set up well enough at the beginning. They did not cheat! (Have you seen The Village? Now THAT was a cheat!)To sum up my opinion of the movie - I enjoyed it, it made me think and I did not feel insulted by the ending. One of the few movies I would actually watch again.

Bryce David 2012-05-12 23:01:48

Film suffers from identity crisis

IDENTITY has an interesting if somewhat trite idea at its core.Unfortunately, the execution and the script destroy the whole concept.In order for a story like IDENTITY to work, the characters had to becompelling 3-dimensional folks with depth. Without interestingcharacters, the storyline suffers so much that the whole thing ends upfeeling like a waste of time and a cheat. Had the characters beencompelling, the sketchy concept would have worked because themovie-going audience would have believed the killer would have actuallyspent time in creating these people (or muses) and would rather spendtime with them, and tormenting them, instead of the killer being alonewith himself and tormenting himself. As of now, the characters in IDENTITY are so boring and forgettable, orinterchangeable, that it makes me wonder why would the killer evenbother coming up with them? Or why would anyone in the audience careabout these people, or types, at all? The film ends up being totallypointless and very predictable, and because of this, IDENTITY is surelyone of the worst films I've seen in a while. If it wasn't for theexcellent cinematography, which was crisp and beautiful on the DVD, Iwouldn't have given this film 4 stars, more like 1 star.Don't bother watching it.

2012-05-12 11:17:52

Twists for the sake of twists are wearing thin.

"Identity" is yet another movie that thinks a "SHOCKING TWIST" is betterthan a good narrative. I have had it up to here with movies that continueto play the ol' "pull the rug out from under the audience" trick when theONLY purpose behind it is for the sake of the twist/shockitself."Identity" actually is quite good for about an hour. At one point, one ofthe characters even makes reference to "movies that gather strangerstogether and kill them off one by one only to find out later that there wassome connection between them." Well, I WISH this movie would have gone withthe formula instead of trying to outthink itself. The result is a majorbackfire and one of the worst final 20 minutes in film history. Whatgenuine suspense there was for the first hour of the film completelyvanished in the final 20 minutes.I find myself constantly saying, "It's too bad the movie stunk because Ireally like John Cusack." Well guess what? I am tired of saying that andnow feel compelled to say that Cusack the actor -- while talented -- is aterrible judge of what is a good movie and what isn't. How many bad moviesis this recently for him?Pretentious critics will embrace this stylish "exercise," but moreintelligent and sophisticated film audiences will not be taken in by a moviethat clearly had no idea what to do in the final act, other than to bedifferent for the sake of being different.Movies with great twists -- The Sting, The Usual Suspects, The Sixth Sense-- all had great screenplays that never cheated the audience and held upunder scrutiny later. They also turned very very good screenplays intogreat screenplays. But movies that resort to twists just for the sake ofthem are doing their audience and themselves a great disservice. We andthey (in some cases) deserve a lot better.

e5567 2012-05-10 17:19:16

Creepiest movie I've seen in awhile

I don't creeped out easily, favouring psychological thrillers over gore.This movie has both, and I anticipated nothing, having read nothing aboutituntil I watched it. Only minutes before the movie did I start thinkingaboutit, as I realised that John Cusack was in it. I've always been quitepartialto his acting.An attentive viewing will give you the most satisfaction, as the plottwists, flashing with what seem to be unrelated opening scenes. Bepreparedfor at least two double-takes when you realise that the identities someofthe characters start to be ephemeral.It's sort of like 'The Ring' (Japanese version) meets 'Seven'.

Michael J. Rice, III 2012-05-09 19:23:29

Memento with an Identity Crisis

"Identity" is a surprise powerhouse.John Cusack and Amanda Peet drew me to the movie. I was not prepared for theexperience. James Mangold has created another film that is, at the least,consistent with his previous "Girl, Interrupted" (1999) and "Heavy"(1995).Ten guests arrive at a "Bates" type motel and start dying. It sounds likethe Agatha Christie classic "And Then There Were None" (1945 & 1975) a/k/a"Ten Little Indians" (1959, 1965 & 1989). . . but then it suggests that verytheme. This is not the umpteenth remake, but rather a nice twist on thetheme.Who is the killer? Why are they being killed? What is going on? Sounds likeMemento meets Christie. To my thinking -- it works on several levels. Thisis a film that you have to be ready to participate in . . . otherwise, saveit until you have the energy.John Cusack and Ray Liotta give very fine performances as would be expected.I think this is the best I have ever seen Amanda Peet. I hope directorMangold adds her to his acting company. Mangold has drawn another stellarperformance from Pruitt Taylor Vince, who did such an excellent job in theMangold's earlier referenced "Heavy" (1995).It doesn't look like a $30 million movie, but it delivers much more. Isuspect the budget was for the acting company that includes Cusack, Liotta,Vince and Clea DuVall. The acting troupe works!Good direction. Very good acting. An excellent story. It is time to addJames Mangold to my list of favored directors. - Michael

2012-05-03 03:04:34

Who dun it? Keep guessing

Excellent Movie for those who like to guess 'who dun it' before getting to the end. Riveting, you won't want to miss anything and about the time you're sure you know who did it, you discover that isn't possible. Also a very refreshing change of pace from what you might expect. Some gore, you might not want the kids to see it till you do. This is my first review and this movie was good enough and different enough to take the time. enjoy.

2012-05-02 13:49:07

"A" cast, "B" movie

Without giving too much away, if you've seen "Adaptation" you might recognise the plot of "Identity" as being akin to that of "The Three" - the "unfilmable" screenplay Charlie Kaufman's infuriating brother Donald comes up with and promptly sells for six figures. Trust Hollywood to go make it. It's fun for a while, but if you pick the twist it quickly becomes laborious. If you don't pick it, then I guess "Identity" is made for your demographic and you'll probably have a great night. For all its apparent exploration of psychology, this is really just a slasher movie dressed up with a good cast and a twist. The players make up for what the story lacks, but only so far. Twist movies work best when one of the central characters is the victim of the twist as much as we are, e.g. "Seven", "Fight Club" and "The Usual Suspects". But if, as here, the audience is the only victim then the joke is on us and we're just left feeling manipulated. So in the end, I'm with Charlie. (But I still wish I was cashing Donald's cheque.)

Mike Colpitts 2012-05-01 10:10:40

Identity is (a) killer

After having suffered through the likes of FearDotCom, Darkness Falls and,most recently, House of 1000 Corpses, I must admit I was starting to losefaith in horror movies that hit theaters. FearDotCom and House of 1000Corpses were poorly made messes that try to pass torture and annoyingcharacters off as horror. Darkness Falls was just a dumb Jeepers Creepersrip-off that should've been rated R, but probably would've sucked anyway. This brings us to the fantastic Identity. Like Halloween, Terror Train andScream before it, Identity proves that if you combine a talented directorwith a great cast and a smart script, you can make a slasher movie thatrises above those that came before it (which in Halloween's case, wasn'tmuch but there was still Black Christmas and a few others). Althoughdirector James Mangold isn't exactly a household name, he shows a sure handat direction, especially of a horror picture (you'll be surprised to learnhe directed Kate & Leopold). Another surprise is the screenplay by MichaelCooney (on the poster it is credited to Mangold and Cooney, but in themovie's credits, Cooney gets sole credit). Cooney is probably most famous(or is it infamous) for the killer snowman flick, Jack Frost, and itssequel. Whether you hated those movies or enjoyed them for what they were,there's no denying that Cooney has progressed by leaps and bounds as ascreenwriter. The last element of this movie that cannot be easilydismissed is the cast. With the exception of Clea Duvall, this is easilythe finest ensemble acting since last year's Lord of the Rings: The TwoTowers. John Cusack is good in just about everything he does so it shouldcome as no surprise that he is spectacular in Identity and easily steals theshow. This is not meant to take away from the fine performances of RayLiotta, John C. McGinley and John Hawkes. The rest of the cast is admirablein their roles although often they don't stand out above the aforementioned. The biggest surprise of the movie though is Amanda Peet. Sans Igby GoesDown, I've never cared for Peet but she proves herself a worthy actressopposite Cusack and Co. The movie has the requisite twists and turns. Unfortunately, I saw most of the big ones coming. Fortunately, the movie isso good that this didn't matter. Unlike The Sixth Sense, which pretty muchrelied on its twist (those who figured it out early on seem to be the oneswho hate it), Identity is a great movie with or without the twist. Identityis one of those great movies that is a slasher flick at heart but has enoughgoing for it that those who would normally hate slasher flicks won't evennotice. Highly recommended.

annie 2012-04-30 22:38:47

It was a dark, stormy night....

Identity is an awesome movie! It's a very well-written, well-acted (JohnCusack is especially good) psychological thriller with numerous twistsandturns. It may not be what you're expecting from the previews, but that'swhat makes it so good.

ImmortalCorruptor 2012-04-29 21:28:44

This movie should be par.

A few minutes after this film began, I remained interested. That's a goodsign, since I'm easily angered by cliched story lines and formulas,especially in thrillers.Throughout the film, there was always enough going on to keep my interest. By the end, I was satisfied and glad I watched it.The performances were top notch. The story was the greatest part, and thedirecting remained above average.This film isn't going to the top 100 ever of anyone's list, but should beconsidered a must see.I believe this should be the standard at which all thrillers are set. Itinvolves intelligence, suspense, the surprise ending and superioracting.The only flaw, which is a common flaw for some reason, is this. In the ageof technology and wonder, when Hollywood can create any special effect inthe world, why can't they shoot a scene regarding central Florida withoutmountains in the background?

2012-04-29 19:28:47

Murder and suspense...

Starring John Cusack and Ray Liotta, Identity is a film which opened to little of the commercial fanfare associated with a blockbuster movie. But this is a film that packs all of the suspense and entertainment value of The Sixth Sense into an original screenplay about a serial killer on the loose. Haunting in its presentation, yet far from a traditional horror film, Identity follows the exploits of ten strangers who become stranded at a Nevada hotel in the midst of a massive rainstorm. One-by-one, they are being killed off, but no one knows the true identity of the killer...A number of seemingly unrelated people gather at a small roadside motel in a Nevada desert location. Strangers to each other, the people descend from all different types of professions and lifestyles - a limousine driver and his movie star client, a policeman (Ray Liotta) transporting a convict, two parents with their young son, a prostitute (Amanda Peet), a young couple, and the motel's manager (John Hawkes). All of them are trapped on the grounds of the motel due to a record rainstorm that's made the roads impassable. Beset by darkness, each of the motel guests resigns to his fate and settles down to ride out the storm. The guests even make an attempt to socialize with one another.But when one motel guest turns up dead, suspicions are raised. When it's revealed that an escaped convict, (Jake Busey), is on the loose, the guests become panicked. Ed (John Cusack) becomes de facto leader of the small group of strangers who begin suspect each other when the convict is captured and the killings continue. Is the true killer among them? Or is someone else (or something else) on the motel grounds with them? Far away, in an undisclosed location, a psychiatrist is feverishly attempting to prove the innocence of a man accused of murder, and the answer lies right before him...Although it's a decent film, Identity falls into the teenage horror film device of having each character wander off alone - despite the fact that people who wander off alone continually turn up dead. However, I'm usually willing to overlook such things if the rest of the film is decent because a movie's objective is to entertain, and Identity does that...The darkness of the setting, coupled with intermittent thunder and the pattering of rain, create an all-encompassing sense of suspense bordering on fear. Rain muffles sound, so how can you hear if someone's sneaking up behind you? Identity is a unique and original film most movie lovers will enjoy. The plot device is employed with the utmost efficiency, keeping the audience guessing until the very end. Who is the real killer? You'll have to watch Identity to find out...Presenting a knockout performance by John Cusack, Identity is one of the surprise films of 2003. The dialogue is fresh, not stiff, and the characters are well-rounded considering many of them do not live through most of the scenes. With a surprise ending reminiscent of 1990s smash hits, The Sixth Sense and The Usual Suspects, Identity (although nowhere near as good as those films) is a film you won't want to miss. Due to its well-written storyline and crescendo of suspense, Identity is a definite must-see movie...The DVD Report

willyoung84 2012-04-28 12:37:20

easy way out!

what can i say, went into this movie expecting it too be absolute garbage,was surprised to find that it wasn't totally terrible. seemed like anyotherrun of the mill 'who did it' thriller. but unlike the others whichdisappointed in the end (scream movies etc) Identity took the easiest wayout of coming up with an intelligent and believable killer story. I was sototally disappointed with the (***DON'T READ ON IF YOU PLAN TO GO SEE THISFLICK***) multiple personality ending that i decided to disappear then andgo to the pub. listen to the people who say 'leave on the 80 min mark' andyou'll come out of the cinema without feeling totally robbed of yourmoney.6 out of ten because the first 20mins where fairly credible.

chris cappola 2012-04-27 18:51:43

A throwback to the good old days of thrillers

I have always been a sucker for a good thriller, a film that keeps youguessing, throws in red herrings, steers you in the wrong direction andgives you an ending you just didn't see coming. ‘Identity' may seem like astandard old slasher thriller and ultimately it is, there's nothing remotelyrevolutionary, most of it borrows from past ideas and its pretty clichéd butthat's the irony of the film. How do you explain the casting of Ray Liotta(‘Unlawful Entry') and Rebecca De Mornay (‘The Hand that Rocks the Cradle')who both played menacing terrorisers in the 90's and are now on the oppositeend of the knife. It's a stormy night in the middle of nowhere and a family have stopped tofix a punctured tyre. As the father (John C. McGinley) is changing the tyre,his wife (Leila Kenzle) is struck by a limo. With the wife gravely ill, thelimo driver (John Cusack) attempts to get help and takes the family to anearby motel. The torrential rainstorm also forces several other disparatepeople to seek shelter in the motel. Included are a young newlywed couple(Clea DuVall and William Lee Scott); a faded actress (Rebecca De Mornay) whowas being driven by the limo driver; a prostitute (Amanda Peet) and a cop(Ray Liotta) transporting a killer (Jake Busey). Meanwhile the motel is runby a creepy manager (John Hawkes) who isnt all that he seems. The raindoesn't let up and the 10 strangers are one by one murdered. Who's thekiller? Naturally the killer is the first suspect or is it the creepy motelmanager? Could it be a ghost since the motel was built on an ancient burialground? As the murders intensify, the remaining guests begin to find aconnection to the murders. Meanwhile the film intercepts with an eleventhhour hearing for a man (Pruitt Taylor Vince) who is convicted of severalmurders and is about to be put to death. Is there a connection?James Mangold hasn't really demonstrated his as good of a director as he isfor attracting good casts and he usually has more talent than he can utilisewith his past films including the star studded ‘Girl Interrupted' and‘Copland'. In ‘Identity', again he doesn't use his cast to the greatesteffect (De Mornay is doomed pretty early on), but with such an ensemblecast, there isnt the need for any stand out performances because with morecharacters standing out than others, it puts the film off balance. Everybodyis a suspect, nobody is immune, which is very important in figuring out thefilm because it doesn't go for the easy answer, it makes you think. This allleads to one of those trick endings, which makes you relive the entire filmand put it all together. Some may not think it works, but it grabs you andalso makes you kick yourself for falling for the detours and tricks the filmhas in hiding its secret. Its ending is the first conclusion that fooled mesince ‘The Sixth Sense' and ‘Fight Club' from 1999. Mangold though has a nice visual style and though clichéd, the brutalrainstorm is a necessity for a good thriller, it has an ominous effect thatworks well here. The motel setting is creepy yet authentic and again there'snothing terribly insightful here, but a standard setting with some killings.The industry has evolved that most thrillers rely on shock tactics to scareaudiences, but ‘Identity' doesn't have any gruesome scenes or outrageousdeaths, it's relying on a terrifying and menacing script to creep theaudience out and make them think like a good old whodunit. None of the castare overly great, though Amanda Peet continues to prove herself a greatactress while John Cusack and Ray Liotta may be photocopying pastperformances but they're still good. ‘Identity' is a good old thriller that deceives the audience, plays withtheir mind by giving them detours that go nowhere and requires them to tryand piece together the mystery; before ultimately giving them an ending theyprobably would have never guessed. Its these type of films that make thethriller genre one of the best and we like to play detective and its good toget a good old scare and ‘Identity' is an effective way to exercise oursleuthing capabilities. My rating: 8 ½ / 10

bostonbeans 2012-04-25 02:09:27

This movie is based on a lie

I saw this movie last night and was really disappointed.. The wholemovie is based on a lie where the viewer is put on the wrong foot.Probably some people will think this is a very clever script, but Icannot agree. I made me think of "Stage Fright" of A. Hitchcock, wherehe puts the viewer also on the wrong foot, by showing images of a toldstory, which were not true.. For me, this movie does exactly thesame... Only revealing later on that the killer has in fact many"faces" or personalities, is a complete fooling of your public. I sawon the extra's of the DVD that both director and producer were veryhappy to have found "a jewel" between all the shitty scripts they weresent...

sbsjosh 2012-04-24 16:17:05

Scary Thriller

This has got to be one of the scariest movies I have ever seen, andtrust me, I've seen a lot of scary films. It is so well put togetherthat I have only had the DVD for three days and I have already watchedit twice.I think the ending is the scariest, but I am not going to spoil it foranyone who hasn't seen it.John Cusack is a very good lead actor and Ray Liotta and Amanda Peetare phenomenal supporting actors.All I need to say is that it is a really scary movie. But don't take myword for it, go see it for yourself.

2012-04-24 04:46:14

Once Upon A Time While It Rained All Night....

This review is from: Identity [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) Wonderful little creepfest that sneaks up on you and tangles you in it's clever web while jangling your nerves as the rain beats down everybody beneath it...great cast...great blu-ray transfer...wonderful sound which is tatamount to another character in the movie...I won't go into plot...suffice to say...John Cussack and Ray Liotta chose to do this movie(both outstanding....in the rain...wild laughter ensues). Ably supported by the entire cast (it's really more of an ensemble piece by piece in the long run and it IS a long run to Florida from Nevada)...don't pay any attention to me...I'm slipping away as I write this...wish the rain would stop...long enough for me to figure out what's going on...what I need is a child to lead me...

2012-04-23 18:34:24

Three Versions on One Disk

I have heard a lot about this movie and its surprise ending. But unlike The Sixth Sense, this move does not have a surprise ending. All you have to do is pay attention and you will see al of the blatant clues telling you what will happen.The viewer thinks they know what is going on as a collection of characters find themselves stuck at a small motel in a dreadful downpour. Other scenes concern a mass-murderer who is getting a last-minute hearing. The prisoner is en-route to the hearing. But by paying attention we know that what the film wants us to think is far from true.In Agatha Christie fashion, the people in the motel begin to be murdered. Tensions and suspicions mount. A new arrival at the hearing substantiates the earlier clues and derails the average viewer's ideas of what is going on.Finally we get to the end where we resolve the relationship between the characters, the motel, the hearing and just what is going on. No real surprise thanks to the blatant clues. But even that hinges on believing a "new treatment" is possible without any explanation as to how it was done especially when it is the impossibility of said treatment that causes the dysfunction in the first place. (sorry for being vague but there are those who will still be surprised and I don't want to spoil it).The disk contains three versions: full screen, wide-screen, and extended wide-screen (extended by only a few minutes). There are also some interesting deleted scenes (they are included in the novelization), but nothing mind-blowing.A decent movie with great atmosphere (you'll never look at rain the same way) and some interesting characters. But it could have been better if they didn't put in all of those clues.