I like this kind of movie that takes off and you're not exactly sure where it's going to go.
Unknown (2006)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:42
Fresh:15
Rotten:27
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: Though it boasts a talented cast, this thriller fails to make you care about the twisty mystery of the men's identities and situation.
Theatrical Release:13-04-2007
Synopsis: Five men awaken in a warehouse with no way out and no recollection of how they got there, only to struggle with their suspicion of each other as they try to piece together their story from... Five men awaken in a warehouse with no way out and no recollection of how they got there, only to struggle with their suspicion of each other as they try to piece together their story from available clues. One (Greg Kinnear) has a broken nose, while another (Jeremy Sisto) is handcuffed to a pipe and slowly dying from a gunshot wound. Two (Barry Pepper and Jim Caviezel) are unhurt, while the fifth (Joe Pantoliano) is tied to a chair--which is how the group wish to keep him until they figure out why he got that way. Meanwhile, the police are tracking a sinister man in snakeskin boots (Peter Stormare) with a connection to the group, and a worried wife (Bridget Moynihan) of one of the men searches desperately for her husband. But will the men kill each other out of suspicion before finding a way out of the warehouse? The second half of the '90s saw a spate of neo-noirs inspired by Tarantino's supercharged RESERVOIR DOGS. Christopher Nolan's MEMENTO (2000), though in obvious debt to Tarantino, was a breathtakingly new shot in the arm for the genre. Simon Brand's UNKNOWN is a brainy and verbose melding of the two. Making its low budget work in its favor, the script could easily be performed on a stage, as the locations number in the low single digits. Though many young pulp-drunk post-Tarantino directors have toyed with non-linear narratives, Matthew Waynee's script doesn't make the device seem rote or overindulgent. Also a small, strong cast led by Caviezel, Kinnear, and Pepper ensure this solid thriller isn't just another entry in the tough-guy crime stakes. [More]
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Joe Pantoliano, Jim Caveziel, Barry Pepper
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Joe Pantoliano, Jim Caveziel, Barry Pepper, Jeremy Sisto, Bridget Moynahan, Peter Stormare
Director: Simon Brand
Director: Simon Brand
Producer: Rick Lashbrook, John S. Schwartz
Composer: Angelo Milli
Studio: Weinstein Company
Reviews for Unknown
Almost everybody's got amnesia in Unknown, and after watching it you might pine to be similarly afflicted.
Screenwriter Matthew Waynee doesn't quite know when to provide clues and when to withhold.
Director Simon Brand and screenwriter Matthew Waynee have constructed a fairly efficient little B movie from bits of Reservoir Dogs, Cube, and every amnesia thriller in which the victim is afraid of finding out he's the bad guy -- multiplied by five.
Unknown comes across more like an amateur stage play, mechanically working through the obligatory three acts toward the obligatory twist ending.
80 minutes that could have been better spent watching Reservoir Dogs, The Usual Suspects, Memento, Saw or just half of The Departed.
The movie's disinterest in character might be forgivable were its plot not riddled with holes.
You can't fault the cast on this one, but you can fault the way the big-name actors have been distributed.
While Brand manages a couple of effectively brutal bits of violence, Matthew Waynee's gassy screenplay is all premise and no propulsion.
Even as you anticipate what's next, formula demands that at least some of the men's judgments will be wrong.
The performances are uniformly excellent, and Brand relies on his music video training to provide some tantalizing flashback clues.
Tyro video helmer Simon Brand doesn't give his actors sufficient breathing room, ruthlessly chopping their scenes into monotonous hash.
Not since Memento or The Usual Suspects has a movie thrown viewers for as many loops.
There's no particular message to their joint feature-film debut, except perhaps that chance plays a significant part in the direction people's lives take, but it's an entertaining diversion whose clever structure gives pulp-crime cliches a welcome twist.
To kill 80 minutes, the movie has to pad itself with several dull speeches and stagy moments.
It all comes together at the end, logically and with a twist. But it's not a game that allows the audience to play along.
A worthy cast and an intriguing concept don’t get enough support from this film’s generic title, passable script and skittish direction; a mostly forgettable crime thriller is the result.
Brisk pacing and an excellent cast of mostly B-list actors can’t make up for the commonplace premise and execution of Simon Brand’s twisty thriller Unknown.
Latest News for Unknown
July 30, 2007:
Frank Miller Faults Weinsteins for Sin City 2 Delay
While sitting on a Comic Con panel, Frank Miller was asked about the hold-up on Sin City 2. (Numerous times, probably.) And it looks like the celebrated author / artist /... More...
November 02, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Borat" Best Reviewed Film Of Year: High-Five!; "Flushed Away" Worth A Spin; "Santa Clause 3" Gets Coal
This week at the movies brings us the profound discoveries of a great Kazak journalist ("Borat," starring Sacha Baron Cohen), a battle between Santa and Jack Frost... More...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

