I really had no idea what to expect when I started watching this movie, and honestly I am glad that I didn't. I won't give away too much about the plot because it may ruin any surprise that's left (if the previews didn't already give it away). At the beginning, it appears that this movie is just another hashing of the horror genre's predictable stereotypes, but as you delve deeper into the movie and the plot you'll realize that there is something more profound at the movie's core. By means of misdirection and trickery, you'll be led down a path to believe what you and director James Mangold want you to believe. Because the film sets you up with the same old-same old and cliches of all thriller plots, you won't be tempted to think outside of the box and that leads you into the big unexpected surprise that comes out of nowhere. Once you figure out what's really going on, you'll have to do some more sleuthing to find out how the movie is going to end. The problem is, that once you reach your conclusion, the last few minutes of the movie might just prove you wrong.
The movie starts out exceedingly common and very simple. On a dark and rainy evening, several people find themselves stranded at a run-down motel in the middle of nowhere because all the roads have been washed out or are impassable. The cast of characters include: Ed (John Cusack), an ex-cop turned chauffer who shuttles around a fallen starlet (Rebecca De Mornay) ; Paris (Amanda Peet) a reformed stripper who is leaving Las Vegas for a more Sunkist life in Florida; Officer Rhodes (Ray Liotta) and his convict charge Maine (Jake Busey) who is being moved to a new prison; George (John C. McGinley), whose wife Alice (Leila Kinzle) was gravely injured when she was struck by Ed's limo. Quietly taking all of this in is their son, Timmy. He doesn't know what to make of everything and is deathly afraid. There is also a Norman Bates wannabe Larry (John Hawkes) who runs the ramshackle motor lodge; and two not-so-happy newlyweds Lou (William Lee Scott) and Ginny (Clea DuVall) on their honeymoon.
True to Hollywood form, as the rainy night wears on, the characters, one-by-one, turn up dead. In the middle of nowhere, ten strangers, a rainy night, and one hell of a wicked twist, Identity takes you on a wild ride up until its halting revelation of an ending.
I want to see this!
ReplyDelete