Review by Gary Tooze

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• Liam Neeson: Unknown Action Hero (4:33)

Second disc DVD with the feature and access to a Digital Copy

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Description: The star of Taken and The A-Team jumps back into action with brute force! Liam Neeson plays Dr. Martin Harris, who awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that his wife (January Jones) suddenly doesn’t recognize him and another man (Aidan Quinn) has assumed his identity. Ignored by disbelieving authorities and hunted by mysterious assassins, he finds himself alone, tired and on the run. Aided by an unlikely ally (Diane Kruger), Harris plunges into a deadly mystery forcing him to question his sanity, his identity and just how far he’s willing to go to uncover the truth.

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Dr. Martin Harris awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that his wife suddenly doesn't recognize him and... another man has assumed his identity. Ignored by disbelieving authorities and hunted by mysterious assassins, he finds himself alone, tired, and on the run.

 

 

The Film:

Then again, if you can suspend (if not forget) your disbelief, Unknown offers an enjoyable thrill ride. Neeson makes for a watchable man on the run, even if some of his techniques, like the just-in-time subway escape, have been done to death. And ducking into a noisy nightclub? In Berlin? You’d be hard-pressed not to wind up in one.

Excerpt from Chris Knight at The National Post located HERE

Liam Neeson’s latter-day renaissance as an unlikely action star should give hope to performers and viewers of a certain age (i.e., over 40) everywhere. While that irrepressible exhibitionist Helen Mirren, born in 1945, continues to inspire legions of AARP members, one discarded garment at a time, Mr. Neeson, a comparative pup born in 1952, is doing much the same, one hard-swinging fist after another.

And so here he is again, racing against time and villainy, this time in “Unknown,” another sleek, preposterously amusing thriller with a single-word title. Like “Taken,” his surprise 2008 hit, this new movie largely banks on the spectacle of Mr. Neeson’s character — here, a botanist, Dr. Martin Harris — pursuing a much younger woman. In “Taken,” the bait was a kidnapped daughter, while in “Unknown” it’s a blank-eyed wife (the suitably cast January Jones). After landing in Berlin and driving to their hotel, the doctor and missus are separated when he realizes that he has left his briefcase at the airport. Hopping in a cab driven by a looker, Gina (Diane Kruger), he soon ends up in a bumper-to-bumper pileup that leads to a dunk in a river and black bags of trouble.

Excerpt from Manohla Dargis at the NY Times located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Although Unknown is given a fairly modest technical transfer (single-layered, lowish bitrate) on Blu-ray from Warner the image quality appears reasonable.  Detail and contrast are strong - befitting its modern production roots. Skin tones/colors seem true - blue/grey/green is heavy in spots. DoP Flavio Martínez Labiano sneaks in some great shots in the mixes of intense action. Noise is not an issue and the film lacks any dominant textures. This Blu-ray has a consistent feel and doesn't excel in any one area. This Blu-ray produces a watchable image with minor depth but no dismissible flaws.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This thriller has a reasonably potent score - transferred in DTS-HD Master 5.1 at 3903 kbps. There is plenty of action with two spectacular automobile sequences.  Composer John Ottman, who has extensive credits, is teamed with award-winning Alexander Rudd to create a powerful score supporting the dynamic moments of Unknown. Depth is notable which can overtake dialogue and multiple deft separations exist. There are subtitle options and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

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