Hey folks, Harry here... IDENTITY has a great trailer. The review yesterday seemed to say it wasn't all that great, but this one says the same thing, only... that it was fun to watch. That it looks great, but that it shoots its load a bit quick, dips its hand so to speak and gives us a peak at too much too soon. With this cast though, I'll most certainly give it a chance.
Sup Harry?
Long time reader, first time writer. I don't know why it's taken me so long to write, seeing as I work in entertainment and see a shitload of free advance screenings. From here on out you can call me DREXL SPIVEY.
About a month ago I caught a trailer for IDENTITY - the new Jim Mangold film I've managed to hear next to nothing about during its production. For anyone who didn't see the trailer, it's a damn good one. Always up for a good thriller, and always hoping each one will be worthy of my time, I'll give any thriller a chance. The day after I saw the trailer, I contacted my friend who works in publicity and is my meal-ticket to all my free screenings, and I inquired about any upcoming screenings for IDENTITY. So last week she tells me one's coming up, I agree to attend, and the rest is history.
So, last night I rolled into the SONY lot not sure quite what to expect, but optimistic and looking to be entertained. for the most part, I was...
IDENTITY takes place on a rainy night in the desert somewhere between Vegas and LA (?). It features a superb cast including John Cusack as a limo driver/ex-cop, Ray Liotta as a cop, Jake Busey as his convict in custody, Amanda Peet as call girl, the always welcome John C. McGinley as a bumbling stepfather whose family has been in a car accident, the dude who played Pete "I never said help us!!!" Bottoms at Benny's World of Liquors in Dusk Till Dawn as a motel manager, and Rebecca DeMornay looking like a hot Barbra Hershey with a ridiculously large rack as a movie starlett...to name a few. Qualiy performances by everyone...just looked like a bunch of actors and filmmakers having some fun. Point being, some strange force of nature has brought all these fine folks together to the wrong place at the wrong time...a motel in the middle of nowhere on a stormy night.
From here all hell ensues, and I do not want to spoil anything for anybody. But the main plot involves each of these ten individuals dropping off in entertainingly murderous fashion, all the while developing a certain pattern. As the movie progresses however, it becomes less of a WHODUNNIT than who is gonna outlast the rest due to the inclusion of a subplot involving a psychotic death row inmate amidst a last minute appeal for his death sentence to be carried out the following day.
The bottom line - the movie looks GREAT. Creepy cinematography, lots of extremely wide angles, excellent lighting especially with the use of lightning and shadows. The score is tense enough to keep you on the edge of your seat for the most part. The film's biggest flaw is it's pacing - toward the end, it is forced to rush itself to the end due to the fact that it's shown its hand a bit early. For there is a twist involved although, it's not saved until the very end...although one mini twist at the end provides for a giggle or two.
The fact is, this is purely a fun movie - much the same way that John Dahl's poorly marketed and highly underrated JOY RIDE was fun for playing with its audience, so is IDENTITY. Could it have been creepier? Yes. Could it have been paced better? Yes. Was I entertained? Yeah. The fact is - Jim Mangold is back from the hell that was KATE AND LEOPOLD (despite the charm of Hugh Jackman), and back to making films that are almost great, but not quite there (i.e. COPLAND). Cool idea. Fairly new take on what lurks in the minds of a killer...anyhoo...those are my two cents and I'm sticking to them. Until then...
'You know who we got here? The motherfuckin' Charlie Bronson!'
DREXL SPIVEY
