Rating: 
Summary: a Thriller that delivers
Review: A solid cast stars in this suspenseful whodonit that pretty much keeps you guessing to the end. The logic remains true throughout - a big plus for me because I hate it when movies aren't even true to their own logic. The movie sucks you in from the start - you need to pay attention from the very first frame on - and doesn't let up as we find ten people stuck in an out-of-the-way motel during a bad storm. Then, as if there wasn't enough stuff going on, people start getting murdered. It just keeps getting better. I was surprised by seeming twists in the plot and reviewing found no major holes. I rate it five stars because I certainly would recommend this film to friends (and have) and have added it to my personal library.
Rating: 
Summary: "Ed, I'm not comfortable with guard duty, per se."
Review: After seeing the trailer for Identity (2003), I got the impression it was a horror film with a number of recognizable actors you wouldn't normally see in straight up horror film, and that intrigued me. After seeing the movie, feeling a little duped by the trailer (there's few things as aggravating as a misleading trailer, except for a trailer that shows all the best parts), I was a little surprised to see it was much more than I assumed, being a decent mystery/thriller with slight horror undertones. Directed by James Mangold (Girl, Interrupted, Kate & Leopold), the film stars John Cusack (High Fidelity, Serendipity), Amanda Peet (Saving Silverman, Something's Gotta Give), and Ray Liotta (Goodfellas), three actors I generally like, although Liotta's star quality still suffers with me from his appearing in the 1997 turkeyfest Turbulence (a film which systematically dismantled Liotta's costar Lauren Holly's budding career, forcing her into the realm of television for quite some time). Other notable appearances are made by Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2), John C. McGinley (Stealing Harvard), Jake Busey (Fast Sofa), weird eye guy Pruitt Taylor Vince (Nurse Betty), and Rebecca De Mornay (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle), sporting the biggest set of fake hoo hoos I've seen in a long time.
The story, mostly taking place at a lonely Nevada motel, features a group of people brought together under curious and seemingly coincidental circumstances, stranded as they're caught in the middle of a heavy rainstorm (yes, it does rain in the desert on occasion, and usually pretty hard) due to the fact the road leading away from the motel in either direction is washed out. It's an interesting mix of characters, a limo driver (Cusack), a prostitute (Peet), an officer (Liotta) transporting a convicted criminal (Busey), a family of three, a newlywed couple, and a seemingly once popular actress, whose star has since faded (at the very least, she's still got the huge rack). Shortly after our soggy assemblage has an opportunity to get acquainted with each other, their number begins to dwindled as someone within the group is eliminating them one by one, leaving evidence indicating there may be a pattern. Maybe someone should call the police...but wait! The phones are out, and the only cell phone among the group can't make a connection (with the advent of cell phones, many thriller/horror films have had to resort to the old `I can't get a signal' contrivance to justify why a character can't phone for help, either that or they actually have the phone get damaged or the battery be depleted). Now, those who haven't suffered a terminal case of death must try and figure out not only who among them is a killer, but why (we later learn there's a connection between the individuals present), before those left meet the same, grisly fate.
The positives of the film are many, including a strong cast, led by Cusack (remember the days when he only seemed to do silly comedies? Who knew back then he would evolve into dramatic roles as well as he did?) and Liotta (the two played against each other nicely, enough so I wouldn't mind seeing them appear in something else together). The rest of the cast follows suit, but given the collective professional experience in their backgrounds, I wouldn't have expected less. The direction by Mangold is tight, and it's obvious he knows how to create suspense and deliver the goods (there were a few `pop outs', or basically throwing something at the viewer to create a quick, cheap scare, but Mangold seemed to be able to present it in such a way where it wasn't as obvious as it would have been with a lesser director). The photography was really beautiful, deftly using the rain in such a way as to accentuate the story, and also to keep the viewer engaged. I also thoughts the sets were detailed and realistic, giving the film a dark, brooding quality, much like that of David Fincher's film Se7en (1995). The biggest problem I had with the movie was related, in a small way, to the ending and the revelation of the identity of the killer in that films that utilized dream sequences (there are none here) or similar plot contrivances seem to use them in such a way as to forgo justifying various details and unexplained events as to say to the audience, `Well, because of the context of the occurrence of the details and/or events, we don't have provide any reasoning, and you just have to accept it'. Now, I don't need a reasoning or rational for everything, as I'd like to believe I'm intelligent enough to extrapolate these things from myself, so long as the story is adept enough to provide the basic necessities to do so...but that wasn't always the case here (an example being the entire Indian burial mounds aspect, and its' introduction with regards to the killings possibly being supernatural in nature). I did appreciate the inclusion of various clues, not so much relating to who the killer was, but who the killer wasn't. The concept put forth by the story in this regard certainly was interesting (and entertaining), but the execution seemed a little weak.
The DVD features both anamorphic widescreen (2:35:1) and the pan & scan (1:33:1), allowing the viewer to choose their preferred format, both looking very clean and sharp. The audio is Dolby Digital 5.1, and comes though very clearly. Special features include a commentary track by the director, a `Starz' on-set featurette, storyboard to scene comparisons, deleted scenes, selected filmographies, and the ability to choose to view the original theatrical release, or a slightly extended version of the film (I believe this last feature is only available in the widescreen format). Normally I'd probably rate this three stars, but due to the strengths (especially the cast), I'm willing to go to four stars. I'd recommend renting before buying, though, as I see little value in repeat viewings.
Cookieman108
Rating:
Summary: Identity IS [great]!!!
Review: Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" gets an update in this sleek, stylish, and suspenseful horror thriller. On a dark and stormy night, ten strangers are stranded at an isolated hotel in the middle of the Nevada desert. Coincidence? Maybe. But when they are killed off one by one, they begin to discover a strange link between themselves and the deadly killer. Who will be the next victim? The countdown begins as the edge-of-your-seat thrills take over.There are too many things to love about Identity. The cast in itself is quite impressive. Where else can you see Ray Liotta, John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Clea Duvall, John McGinley, Rebecca DeMornay, Alfred Molina, and Pruitt Taylor Vince in one movie? The claustrophobic setting causes jumps at a mere shadow, and the eerie score adds to the tension. Identity cleverly combines ideas from horror films of the past and present. Obvious shades of "Psycho," "Scream," "Final Destination" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" are seen here, and less obviously "The Sixth Sense," "Poltergeist," and "The Usual Suspects." There's no masked killer here, and it isn't death stalking his victims, but the influence of those films is evident. Hell, we don't even get to see most of the murders, just their bloody aftermath, but there is unbearable tension throughout as the remaining strangers try to solve the mystery. The horror cliches keep piling up as the film progresses and it's obvious everybody has some sort of sinister secret up their sleeves. This just adds to the fun of the guessing game. In the first half, the thrills come from seeing which star will be killed off next, but as the final twists are thrown at us, it becomes unbearable to discover the killer's identity. To say anything more would ruin the wonderfuly creepy effect the film has. It's obvious the actors are having fun with their roles and there is a special type of chemistry between them. All this makes Identity a superior effort in the modern slasher genre.
Rating:
Summary: Classic whodunnit with a twist
Review: As far as I could tell, twist endings are very hard to pull off. They require very careful precise for every single detail. The Usual Suspects, Fight Club, and obviously Sixth Sense told you the ending, then re-explained it. Without it you'd go "what the hell? why is he all of a sudden....?". Well this movie does a good job of explaining, and brings in some fine acting. The movie starts with a hearing of Malcolm Rivers, a convicted killer one day away from execution where the defense has new evidence which could possibly save him. On the other side, 11 people are stranded in a motel during a huge storm. One by one, they start dying and it's up to survivors to figure out who done it, especially when strange occurences start to happen. John Cusack gives a great performance, I don't really care for Amanda Peet as a whole so I'm biased, Ray Liotta as usual plays a big hothead and Rebecca de Mornay plays the classic stuck up actress. Also credit goes to Pruitt Taylor Vince playing Rivers. When the big revelation is revealed near the end, watch Pruitt's facial expression; it's as if he's doubling Ed's reaction to the revelation. Classic whodunnit with great performances and intelligent twist where I'd ask the question: do we convict the body or the mind?
Rating:
Summary: Psycho meets Ten Little Indians
Review: As if Psycho weren't enough to scare you off rundown motels in the rain, Identity comes along to drive the point home. This is a solid thriller with a great cast. You'd have to include the storm as a character, since it is the rain that drives ten strangers to a decrepit motel in the desert, and the lightning and drenching water are a constant presence as bodies begin to turn up and tensions heighten. Toward the end there are, of course, two main twists -- one works very well, the other is goofy and predictable, though it doesn't spoil the film. While it wasn't the best thriller I've ever seen, it was not merely a slasher film either -- something I was counting on based on John Cusack's presence -- and when the movie was over I didn't feel ripped off. I always enjoy Cusack, the rest of the cast was great, the editing was very good, and the premise was quite interesting. Extra features include a director's commentary, a trailer, a featurette, 4 deleted scenes, a (slightly) extended ending, storyboard comparisons and a filmography for some of the cast and crew members. Audio and subtitles are available in English or French. Solid. Creepy. Not for kids.
Rating:
Summary: Good Entertainement. Above the average
Review: As you may be reluctant to watch this movie, reading the story which looks pretty basic, you may expect a lot more than you would. This is not the best movie of the year, but it was sure great and it went beyond all expectations. Otherwise, this movie has absolutely nothing to do with Memento (flashbacks and anachronous stories have not been invented in Memento!) I perfectly understand people who don't like it, but I would say that most of people won't be disapppointed. Of course, if you can bear a little suspense in the movie,don't watch. For all the others, this will be a great catch.
Rating:
Summary: Things are not always as they appear.
Review: At first I thought this would be just a basic poorly scripted suspense flix. But it was far more complex than that. Identity is a very engaging movie that was not overly predictable. After seeing this I went into work recommending that people see it. The major annoyance I have with the film is a slight but critical blunder. I'm used to Hollywood getting psychological diagnosis wrong. Hollywood often plays with diagnostics for dramatic purposes. This blunder was not an error for dramatic effect. It was just a stupid error that should have been corrected. If a "Psychiatrist" is going to state which Axis a diagnosis is on he should be able to correctly state the Axis!
Rating: 
Summary: Identity (2003)
Review: Director: James Mangold
Cast: John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, John Hawkes, Alfred Molina, Clea Duvall.
Running Time: 90 minutes.
Rated R for violence, gore, and language. One of the most bizarre thrillers to ever hit the screen, "Identity" attempts to pull off a "Sixth Sense" style finale, but fails miserably with a disjointed, confusing story that is well-made and well-acted, but ultimately fails to follow logic. It is a film that jumps into action extremely quick, with a family fixing a flat tire in the middle of the pouring rain on a deserted highway. Ex-cop turned limousine driver John Cusack accidentally hits the mother of the family while she was attempting to help her husband with the fix-up, but they cannot drive to the hospital for medical attention due to the horrific weather. They find a place to stay and tend to the woman's wounds in a ratty, old Bates-like motel. In all, ten strangers find themselves at the mysterious motel fighting for their lives against an unknown killer that is walking the premises. They are many twists and turns, points fingered at numerous killers, and so many strange occurrences in the last ten or 15 minutes of the film that is it hard to distinguish exactly what is the truth and what is not real. Cusack and Liotta give suitable performances in the lead roles, but certainly nothing spectacular-the rest of the cast is not given much of a personality, mainly used as cookie cutter characters that the audience does not give a flip about if they are slaughtered. "Identity" is a nice attempt at trying to bring some psychosis/schizophrenia terror to the suspense genre, but director Mangold seems more focused on making scary scenes with lightning and down-pouring rain that creating a film that is halfway understandable. Some of the DVD extras are slightly useful, although the extended version is basically the same motion picture. A thriller that had promise, but it does not succeed in establishing exactly what kind of movie it wants to be, loosing its own identity in the process.
Rating:
Summary: Ever see Memento? Identity's like that.
Review: Ever see Memento? Identity's like that. It takes place in another person's mind. It's disjointed. It tells the events out of order. The order of the movie's scenes gives insight into what's really happening. And of course, people die and nobody's sure who did it or how. Identity is not quite as slick as Memento. It's choppy at parts, disjointed or just plain plays dirty pool in others. 10 strangers end up stranded in the rain at a creepy hotel. The laws of their world slowly unravel as they attempt to escape -- cell phones don't work, cars can't cross the flooded roads, and accidents happen that keep them from escaping the area and each other. There's a lot of interesting characters. There's the cop and the serial killer con he's escorting to an execution. There's the limo driver who was once a cop. There's the hooker with a heart of gold. The couple who just got married because the girl's pregnant. The average family, complete with silent little boy and weird stepdad. The bitchy washed-up actress. And of course, the freaky hotel owner. Everyone in the movie has a secret. The secrets unravel as things go from bad to worse and each person gets bumped off. Some of the deaths are accidents, some are outright murders. All of them leave the corpse with a hotel key, in the order of each person killed. Things get REALLY weird when the hotel keys starting showing up on corpses that died by accident. If you haven't figured it out yet, the rest of this review contains a spoiler. It's the only way I can talk about the film with any candor. So kiddies who don't want the ending spoiled for them, leave the room. Identity takes place in Malcolm Rivers' head. He has 10 personalities in there banging around and Malcolm is about to be executed for murder. Malcolm murdered a bunch of people at a hotel (six victims, I believe), stabbing them to death. But his psychiatrist submits that Malcolm is legally insane and that a new drug treatment will force the personalities to eliminate each other. The premise of Identity is great. I also figured it out five minutes into the film. If you pay attention, the pictures in the first few minutes of the film -- along with certain phrases said by the patient -- are repeated by characters within the movie. In that respect, Identity is internally consistent. If you know that (and when I was watching this with my brother, he didn't catch it), the rest of the movie falls into place pretty quickly. I couldn't help but feel the cut scenes involving the psychiatrist broke up the flow. I wanted a real mystery that strung me along and it felt like Identity thought I was too stupid to keep up. And yet, Identity is definitely an expertly crafted work. There's even a surprise twist -- the dominant personality isn't who you think it is (SURPRISE!) but what's irritating is that while every other twist and turn can be figured out, the final twist simply can't be predicted. In essence, the movie is internally consistent until it isn't, and I felt a bit betrayed by the way it ended. On the other hand, the ending is delicious. It's grimly cynical but perfectly poised, a tribute to everything Hitchcockian and "Ten Little Indians" (which the film directly references). Identity loses points for not being perfectly consistent, but it's still a damn fine movie. Oh yeah. John Cusack kicks ass in anything with him in it. That boosts a movie normally that would get a 4 from me to a 5.
Rating:
Summary: "Twist" ending ruined the movie (spoiler)
Review: Ever since The Sixth Sense there has been a bizarre desire in Hollywood to make an attempt at some sort of twist ending in every film. Sometimes the twist can work out quite well, like in the Others, but other times the twist ending is so moronic and insulting it ruins the previous good parts of the movie. Well guess what happens here? Another awful plot twist.
The movie, until the twist, is a somewhat suspenseful and creepy reinvention of the slasher genre. Even so, it still falls for all of the old clichés (there always has to be a hooker in these films for some reason) and you could time an oven by the rate at which characters are killed (one every nine minutes) This is easy to overlook as surreal coincidences and events seem to be foreshadowing that some sort of supernatural power is somehow involved in the killings.
Then the plot twist happens. Not only is everything that happens in the movie meaningless, but every character turns out to be imaginary. That's right, the big twist is that the whole movie is a battle between multiple personalities in some fat guy's head. I had no idea the subconscious of a crazy person was so rainy.
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