Perhaps no one was more surprised than Liam Neeson when the thriller “Taken” became a sneaker smash-hit in 2008.
Thus did the powerfully built Irishman, serious actor and heartthrob find himself facing the unlikely second act of middle-aged action star.
“Unknown” finds Neeson settling comfortably into that mode, in a film that trades the lurid extremes of “Taken” for a more subtle, sophisticated vibe.
Neeson plays horticulture professor Martin Harris, who, as the film opens, arrives for a biotech conference in Berlin with his wife, Liz (January Jones). When Harris inadvertently leaves his briefcase — containing his passport — on the Berlin airport curb, a series of domino-effect mishaps ensue, including a taxi ride that ends with him plunging into an icy river before being saved by the car’s driver (Diane Kruger).
In a coma for four days, Harris awakens with a spotty memory, and his sense of disorientation grows when his colleagues and even his wife don’t recognize him.
Directed by Jaume Collet- Serra from a novel by Didier Van Cauwelaert, “Unknown” owes less to Jason Bourne than Alfred Hitchcock as it follows an amnesiac’s search for the truth, which takes him through wintry Berlin streets and alternately drab and luxe neighborhoods.
Although Collet-Serra perks up the procedural with some brutal fights, efficient murders and one spectacular car chase (Harris didn’t learn precision reverse-gear driving in botany class), for the most part “Unknown” keeps it low-key and consistently intriguing, all the more so when Harris enlists the help of a crafty ex-Stasi officer named Jurgen (Bruno Ganz).
The weakest link in “Unknown” is Jones, who as a modern-day version of Hitch’s ice queens can’t hold her own with the likes of Kim Novak and Grace Kelly.
Kruger fares much better as a Bosnian emigre who has a knack for magically appearing when Harris needs her most.
And through it all, Neeson evinces the same mix of rock-solid strength and soulful vulnerability that made him such a breakout star way back in the 1980s.
Even with one or two more wrinkles and a tad less hair, the kid’s still got it.
“THE UNKNOWN.”
PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence and action, and brief sexual content. 1 hour 49 minutes. Directed by Jaume Collet-Sera. Starring Liam Neeson, January Jones, Diane Kruger, Bruno Ganz, Aidan Quinn and Frank Langella. Opens today at area theaters.
