Likeable, Despite All of Its Flaws (Spoilers)
Liam Neeson is a hard actor not to like. He has the rugged good looks of a B-list Hollywood actor. I've always enjoyed his work since he did a guest appearance as an IRA terrorist on Miami Vice back in the 1980s.
He doesn't really play bad guys anymore (if you don't count the Lego movie, LOL). He seems to be the consummate hero looking to take on injustice. There's something comforting in that.
Unknown has a plot derived from several different movies such as Frantic and Total Recall. His character wakes up in a coma in Paris and his wife doesn't recognize him. The more he delves into her denial of him, the wackier the plot gets. As many posters have claimed, there are serious plot holes. However, its easy to overlook them and enjoy the movie simply based on the talent involved. In addition to Neeson, you have the lovely Diane Kruger as a cab driver who helps out the hapless and scatter brained Neeson. Her character reminds me of Jamie Lee Curtis in Trading Places without the overt humor (and without the topless scene). Ms. Kruger conveys doubt and a sense of curiousity about her fare. January Jones lacks the skills of her castmates, but she does a decent enough job of seeming sexy in one scene and bewildered by this man accosting her in the next. Aidan Quinn is his typical reliable self. Frank Langella has always been a lurking presence since his turn as Dracula back in 1978. He just oozes the Dark Side. How has he not appeared in a Star Wars movie?
The movie keeps you on your toes and never lets on who is good and who is bad until the denouement. Some of the characters' motivations seem odd once you reach the ending as it makes no sense since they know the twist. Still, Unknown makes for a nice two hours of action and drama. Just bring some mental spackle for the holes in the plot.
My memory foam pillow says it can't remember my face. I can tell its lying.