Identity

I have watched this film a bunch of times and I'm never disappointed, even though I clearly know what is going on and who is responsible!

To be fair, I usually give it a year or so between viewings, just to give me enough time to be not totally sure I remember it in full. That's getting way harder now, but that's ok.

It's dark, it's raining all the time, it's so corny in places you think who wrote this, a child? There's loads going on to distract you and it has a stellar cast. It's one of those films I envy people watching it for the first time.

If you've not seen it, rectify that pronto! And then watch it a bunch more times to really savour it!

On a dark and stormy night 11 strangers have to take refuge in an isolated motel when a rainstorm turns into a monsoon. One by one they begin to be killed...but by who and for what reason?

The set-up is neat (if predictable) and there's a great opening showing how the actions of one of them (Amanda Peet) inadvertantly causes some serious damage for the others. There also is some great acting by Peet, John C. McGinley and Ray Liotta (who REALLY chews the scenery). There are also some moments that will make you jump and there are two neat twists at the end.

The only bad things about this movie is some clumsy exposition (John Cusack tells his whole life story while photographing a corpse), some truly bad lines and a surprisingly lousy performance by Cusack. What's happened to him? He looks worn-out and haggard in this film.

However, these are minor problems and the film is well worth seeing and keeps you guessing about what's going on till the last moment. Worth catching.

WARNING: This film is NOT for children!

This movie totally surprised me on every level. I had never even heard of it until recently; when an observant video store clerk noticed how many thrillers I was hiring and suggested it.

Having missed it at the movies, I figured it would be the usual B-grade mystery murder flick, a bit of fun at best. Instead this movie had me hooked from the opening sequence; I almost thought they'd put the wrong DVD in the box!

The story is like one big twisted, turning tunnel- with barely a glimmer of a light at the end. The cast is great, the setting appropriately scary- with no short measure of red herrings to keep you guessing.

The cast really delivers too; the characters are diverse and given enough attention to keep you engaged but not so much as to slow the action down. John Cusack is in fine form as the easily likable ex-cop trying to hold it all together; Jake Busey plays the psychotic to perfection as usual.

I don't usually go in for gore, but there's really barely more than a few hints of blood & guts. Definitely one to watch in the dark with a group of friends to scare the hell out of yourselves. You won't regret this one.

This is an excellent film from a solid director at the top of his game. Most attempts at making a "twist film" fall flat on their face; This is one of the great ones. It's greatness lies in it's simplicity and the way in which it very compellingly weaves thrills, scares and exposition within the film's strong taut structure, leading to a surprising and satisfying conclusion.

The actors are all uniformly brilliant. Ray Liotta again is absolutely a standout performer as he was in Goodfellas for which he was rightly lauded for and John Cusack's brilliant turn makes us wish he had put in a similar performance in his more recent outings since.

I won't ruin it for you, but if you like thrillers, or just compelling stories in the Thriller genre, just watch it. Watch it now! 8/10

For a start,i would like to say that this film is worth seeing.It is one of the best psychological thrillers that exist so i highly recommend to those who like this kind of movies.The plot was very nice,the twist also and the cast outstanding.Cusack,Liotta,Peet and Hawkes did their best and the result was excellent.I liked a lot the flashbacks that were made -mostly in the beginning. Furthermore,the idea of the whole film was terrific.On the other hand,speaking frankly there was an excessive gore and emphasis on the murders that didn't impress me;a big part of the movie was "dedicated" to murders.Another thing that i didn't like was the continuous rain that made me feel tired,seeing again again the storm. Moreover,what i liked most-contrary to many people- was the end of the movie.It was unpredictable and,besides that,it is one of the few thrillers that you cannot find out the end easily.It was very interesting and made me sit tight on my couch .If you don't pay attention for a while you will "get lost". I should not forget to refer to the hot presence of Peer that embellished the movie apart from her casting abilities. Lastly,you should make sure that you will be 100% concentrated on the film in order to understand what is happening cause i regard it as one of the most difficult movies to understand.It is certain that this film will dominate you with mystery and in parallel make you think a lot of things that will be predicted wrong in the end. I would give 9 -at least- out of 10 to Identity.