Persons Unknown

This is about a heist gone bad, and Joe Mantagna does his usual adequate job, perhaps not quite as animated as he is in "Jerry and Tom". It may not move along fast enough for some viewers, and the downbeat score keeps it low key. A lot of time is spent on his relationhips with the 2 sisters involved in the heist. But the plot gets interesting, and it's worth a few rental bucks. It's better than Portraits of a Killer, but not quite as good as Route 9 or Phoenix.

An above average script that only occasionally gets off track, and some truly intriguing actors, including Joe Mantegna, Jon Favreau, J.T. Walsh, Naomi Watts, and Kelly Lynch. The soundtrack is eerie and great. There is some welcome humor, and a budding romance. Rewatchablity seems likely and all this adds up to strong entertainment value. The only weak points are the villains, with the exception of J.T.Walsh, who come across as nothing more than cartoon-like characters. Strong character development and plot takes the place of the usual car chases and explosions. "Persons Unknown" is worth seeking out, especially if you are a fan of twisty plotted films like "Red Rock West" or "Clay Pigeons" - MERK

B-flick. A bunch of people after a bunch of money. Sound familiar? "Persons Unknown" tells of an ex-cop with an unreconciled past who falls in with a couple of babes resulting in a tiny bit of sex, a little bit of action, and a big fat bit of drama. Though the film smacks of the usual Hollywood contrivances, such as killing off all the unnecessary characters as an easy fix for dangling loose ends, it does manage to develop interesting relationships between the principals. Is this a good movie? Probably not. It is worth watching? If you're into crime dramas and happen upon it on cable, probably so. If nothing else you'll get Matenga, Lynch, Watts, some early Hickenlooper, and the option of surfing on. (C+)

Although "Persons Unknown" is no classic, I must admit I just loved it. It's been a while since I was really emotionaly involved with a movie (not since my viewing 10 months ago of Alfred cheung's "On The Run"). The bad guys are a little to caricatural to my taste but the drama surounding the Joe Montagna character really moved me (what can I say, I am a sucker for "characters with a past"). The score, acting and photography are also flawless.

Ex-cop Jimmy has a one night stand with Amanda but begin to suspects that she had alterative motives when he notices his files have been moved. He begins to follow her and finds that she is part of a gang planning a robbery on a garage. When they carry out the robbery, Jimmy steals their money from storage. When the gang begin to turn up dead Jimmy offers to help Amanda and her sister, however with the drug runners, DEA and a corrupt cop on their trail he finds it a difficult proposition.

The story is not out of the ordinary, robbery goes wrong followed by double cross after double cross. However it is still quite clever and compelling. This is mainly due to the good characters in the film and the back story they have. The action is good as well but it is the back story and complexities of Jimmy, Amanda and Molly that make the film that bit more interesting.

Joe Mantegna has class in bucket loads and is great here as the alarm installer with a past. Kelly Lynch is a bit hammy as Amanda but is good for the majority. Watts as Amanda's sister Molly is also good with a strong character. Strong support also comes in quality form from the like of Xander Berkley and J.T. Walsh.

Overall this is a moody noir that draws strength from it's strong characters. The story may not be too different from the standard noir plot but it is delivered in a dark fashion.