Identity is not the best movie I have ever seen, but it was one of the most original I have seen. Let's just say the movie has a lot of personality. From start until practically finish you will not be able to guess who the killer is or even fathom what the final outcome of this whole absurd little story will be. The movie toys with your expectations and then in the end drops a bomb on you.

Cast:This movie stars John Cusack as what appears to be the main character "Ed" an intelligent, level-headed, resourceful limo driver. Ray Liotta plays "Detective Rhodes", a strong, aggressive, in-charge kind of guy transporting a dangerous criminal "Robert Maine" that is most likely a mass-murderer, played by Jake Busey. Paris is the prostitute looking to leave her past behind and make a better life for herself, played by Amanda Peet. Larry is the creepy hotel manager played by John Hawkes. Ginny played by Clea Duvall and Lou played by William Lee Scott are the two just unhappily married newlyweds. George is a quirky concerned husband played by John C. McGinley . His loving wife Alice York is played by Leila Kenzle and their young son Timothy York is played by Bret Loeher. Caroline Suzanne is played by Rebecca De Mornay and is the cold, selfish actress that has Ed as her chauffeur. Then last but not least there is the mental prisoner sentenced to death that goes by the name of Malcolm Rivers which is played by Pruitt Taylor Vince and his doctor played by Alfred Molina.

The Story: The movie opens up with a guy listening to a patient session of some sort that was recorded on tape. On the tape there is a man talking that is accused of killing six people. There seems to be a man, maybe a doctor or something that is asking him questions. The killer starts off by reciting this little poem that comes up again later in the movie. The shrink or whatever asks him where he learned it. The killer answers that he made it up when he was a little boy. He asks the man what he remembers about his mother. The killer answers that his mother was kind of a prostitute, and uses the "w" word that is pronounced like an "H" that means that, the word that epinions won't publish. The shrink then asks about the time or something spent with the mother. The killer answered that he spent time with his mother when she wasn't busy, when she was available. Then they go and show newspaper clippings of a nine year old boy that was left at a motel and was neglected. The shrink asks the killer if he remembers or if he was the one responsible for killing six people on May 10. 1998. The killer answers that May 10th is his birthday. The shrink then asks the killer what to call him and the killer tells him whatever he wants. If you pay attention closely you'll notice that all through out this session/interview the killer's mood changes and his answers to questions never really answer the questions. Most of these details in the beginning of the movie went unnoticed with me. It wasn't until I played it back after watching the movie that I took notice and it lead more in the direction that the movie's conclusion will take you.

The movie reveals that the killer on this tape has been sentenced to death and has been drugged and is being transported to a hearing because a diary of some type has been uncovered and was misfiled in evidence, and argued that it was suppressed. This notebook or diary is the reason why River's case will be tried again for insanity.They leave off with that and then go into this story which you are unsure of why it is relevant to what you have seen so far.

Like I said, you see the beginning of the movie and think nothing of it and then get engrossed in the film and the story of these 10 strangers being brought together and stranded at this motel during a nasty little storm.

A man rushes into a the motel office with a woman in his arms saying how she's bleeding and that the bleeding won't stop. The motel manager looks shocked and concerned and asks what has happened and the man holding the woman in his arms says that there was an accident. The motel manager then instructs him to go 30 miles east to the hospital. The movie then back tracks and lets you see what lead up to the woman being injured. I thought that this was strange method of starting a story, but that was kind of a different approach.

When they do this little playback of events you learn that the man carrying the bleeding woman is her husband. He had been driving in the rain with his wife and son when he ran over a high heel shoe, which then created a flat tire. He stopped and was changing the tire and talking to his wife. His son then was playing a little game at the car window with mommy and mommy stepped back just in time to get hit by a car.

Ed the limo driver was driving his demanding actress boss when her cell phone goes dead. She then asks him to find a spare battery for her phone and tells him where he can find it. He's trying to find the battery and when he tells her he's not finding it she demands that he finds it and curses him out a little. As he is looking for this battery to please the beast in the back seat he pays less attention to the road and then hits a woman in the road. The actress tells him not to get out of the car and help because if he does he assumes responsibility. He tells her to let go of him and that it is his responsibility. Ed goes to help the man and then asks the actress Caroline for her phone so he can call for help. She tells him no and he smashes out her window out to take the phone, but the phone is still dead anyway.

They then show the prostitute driving down the road in her convertible, listening to loud music, about to light up a cigarette and can't find a light. She remembers singing happy birthday to her repulsive bald-headed, glasses wearing, middle aged man of a client and that she slipped her zippo down in her suitcase. She begins to look in the suitcase when it comes unlatched and the top flies open and some of her garments blow away in the breeze. One of her trashy looking leopard pumps blows away, thus creating the flat tire for the next passer-by.

You see the lightening and clouds up ahead as prostitute Paris drives into the storm. She comes to a point where the road is flooded out and she quickly tries to back up and turn the car around and hits a telephone pole while she's at it as well. Paris is now also the reason why no one can call for help. Her car breaks down or runs out of gas and she ends up on foot

Ed after dropping off the actress, husband, son and injured wife at the motel goes to get an ambulance and picks up Paris along the way. He found out for himself that the road was washed out on the one end, but wants to try to opposite way and Paris tells him she came from that direction and that it's washed out as well. He like an honorable guy goes for it anyway, ditches the car, and then they meet the newlyweds Lou and Ginny. Lou and Ginny eventually agree to take Paris and Ed back to the motel. Lou and Ginny can't go any place either so they rent a room at the motel as well.

They get back to the motel and deliver the bad news that everyone is stuck there until the storm blows over. Eventually detective Rhodes and the criminal he is transporting arrive and he asks for a room but tells the manager that if he is denied a room he will understand. The manager decides to rent him a room.

Rhodes handcuffs the criminal to the bathroom toilet and goes to the room where the injured Alice is. His police radio isn't working and he can't call for help either. He watches Ed stitch up the woman's neck and stitches it quite well. Ed reveals he used to be in law enforcement.

In the meantime the criminal Robert Maine gets loose and from there on people seem to be dying one by one, room by room, in a sick count down of murder. Each body ends up with their hotel key either planted on the body or in the clothing or some where near the body, starting with room ten.

Everyone has a secret and they all have something in common. Ed was once in law enforcement and would have black-outs. Rhodes seems suspicious and later is found out to be not exactly what he claims to be. Ginny reveals to Lou that she isn't really pregnant. Paris didn't stay where she was suppose to stay. Larry the manager isn't who he pretends to be, plus he's a bit of klepto. Robert is a criminal and that alone would be a reason to not rule him out. The only people that appear to be innocent is Caroline because she's dead (which by the way Rebecca De Mornay had such a small part in this, they killed her off almost instantly), George because he seems to have no motive, Alice because she's injured badly, and the son because he's a child and has no motive.

The more you watch the movie the more is revealed and the more you change you're mind about whodunit. You will be constantly changing your mind. You'll think one person did it because of some small detail and then something will come up and you'll think it's that person. Then that person will be accused and they'll have a story that is far fetched but because it is you find it believable because it couldn't be made up because it's just too strange. Then you'll decide that it can't be this person because it's too obvious, but then you figure well maybe it is the obvious person and there making them obvious to throw you off.

I found with the movie that it kept me thinking and wondering who it was. I could never seem to precisely pin down who it was and I was really puzzled when they started to reveal the last twist and the real murderer. When the truth was revealed my first reaction was "what?", then it went to "that's BS!", and then it turned into "Oh wow, that was really different, I would have never thought of that". That is why I liked the movie.

I must admit though, it mad me a little mad that I couldn't figure it out. They purposely lead you in the wrong direction and leave you little to no clues. That made me mad, and the fact that I "how was I suppose to ever guess that" feeling came over me. The funny thing is, the reason the movie angered and disappointed me, is the same reason why I liked it. I don't know if that makes any sense.

It wasn't a scary movie, but it did enough suspense in it. There were times that I was like ready to scream out "shut the door, shut the door", or "don't do it!" and that kind of stuff. It even had the frustrating "No don't do that" and "Stay with the others you idiot" stuff. It had some thrills, but best of all it was just different.

Conclusion- With all that has been said, I would definitely recommend the movie Identity to a friend. But, I would also recommend that whoever watches it to go against human nature and not weigh your mind down with who did it, I need to figure this out, and instead watch it with no expectations and just go with it and enjoy it. The ending is absurd, but at the same time it's original, creative, and entertaining to the mind...literally. The human mind is a powerful thing. Think of the things that sometimes we dream of, some of them are absurd and would never happen, but in actuality the mind has no boundaries and the reality of our minds doesn't necessarily have to have anything to do with reality.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age