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Dom Robinson reviews

Distributed by

Columbia TriStar

Cert:

Cat.no: CDR 34145

Running time: 86 minutes

Year: 2003

Pressing: 2004

Region(s): 2, PAL

Chapters: 28 plus extras

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Languages: English, Italian, Russian

Subtitles: English, Italian

Widescreen: 2.35:1 (Anamorphic Panavision)

16:9-Enhanced: Yes

Macrovision: Yes

Disc Format: 2 * DVD 9

Price: £19.99

Extras : Alternate ending, 4 deleted scenes with optional commentary, filmographies, "Making of", 3 Storyboard comparisons, Director's Commentary, Writer's Commentary

---

Director:

James Mangold (3:10 To Yuma, Cop Land, Girl Interrupted, Heavy, Identity, Kate & Leopold, Walk the Line)

Producer:

Cathy Konrad

Screenplay:

Michael Cooney

Music:

Alan Silvestri

Cast:

Ed: John Cusack
Officer Rhodes: Ray Liotta
Paris: Amanda Peet
Larry: John Hawkes
Dr Malick: Alfred Molina
Ginny: Clea DuVall
George York: John C McGinley
Lou: William Lee Scott
Robert Maine: Jake Busey
Malcolm Rivers: Pruitt Taylor Vince
Caroline Suzanne: Rebecca DeMornay
Alice York: Leila Kenzie
Timmy York: Bret Loehr

Identity has a classy 'broken' start to the movie as it shows the principal characters being brought together from a number of different angles, with an early car accident bringing them together at a run-down motel in Nevada. It was a dark and stormy night... (did Snoopy write this?)

This is the kind of film's that's difficult to review without giving anything away because it's the genre that sees people die one by one, quickly and without warning, rather like Final Destination, and with similar style and panache... for the first 65 of its brief 86-minute running time, with the only thing connecting each one is that the next dead person is found in possession of a motel room key starting at 10 and counting down. After this point it goes way too weird, starts to claw it back but then cops out big-time right in the final gasps before the closing credits roll, throwing away everything you've watched by that point.

That's not to say there isn't plenty to enjoy, given fine performances from John Cusack as limo driver to has-been actress Caroline Suzanne (Rebecca DeMornay) and Ray Liotta as Officer Rhodes, transporting prisoner Robert Maine (Jake Busey) to an unspecified destination, but no-one's going anywhere given that the nearby roads have collapsed and the torrential rain has put a stop to any further travelling before dawn, which is kind of a bind because there's one person in urgent need of medical treatment... before the murders begin and during which you'll be trying to guess who's committing them.

They mean business.

Elsewhere, a hearing is taking place overnight for Malcolm Rivers (Pruitt Taylor Vince), a man, who's not all there, convicted of several homicides, but some new evidence - which isn't properly explained, thus not helping in the situation - brings his psychiatrist Dr Malick (Alfred Molina) to the conclusion that the local loony bin may be a better place for him than death row.

This is a film that fans of the aforementioned disaster flick series should rent, but be prepared for disappointment after a cracking first hour. Reliable support comes from John C McGinley, most recently famed as Dr Cox in the superb US comedy Scrubs, and John Hawkes as motel owner Larry. Those familiar with From Dusk Till Dawn will remember Hawkes as the petrol station owner in the film's pre-credits scene. Sadly, Amanda Peet proves she still can't act, and here plays a prostitute.

Witnessing a murder too far.

Director James Mangold makes brilliant use of the dark scenes and the full 2.35:1 widescreen frame. Given that it's shot in anamorphic Panavision, any cropping to 4:3, or even 16:9 will rob the movie of the majority which is worth seeing, thus killing the atmosphere.

No problems at all with the picture or sound, the latter of which is in Dolby Digital 5.1 and sees the thunder lashing down at every available opportunity, although there's not a massive amount else of note to the effects.

The extras are as follows:

• Starz On The Set (14½ mins): Presented in 4:3 with 16:9-letterbox clips, this is the kind of dull extra you wish they no longer bothered with - talking heads giving a few lines to the camera about how wonderful the movie is, mixed in with clips. Pass.

• Deleted Scenes (6 mins): Four, each with optional director's commentary, and with something I've not seen before - the picture goes black and white just before and after any unseen material, so we can see in colour precisely what's contained in the deleted scene. None of them particularly add much to the film, and when you see the fourth one you realise those extra few seconds are what make up the "extended version", which is the choice you make at the start.

• Storyboard comparisons (4½ mins): Three of them, featuring the death of two characters and the back-story to another, but obviously I won't give any of the details here.

• Trailers (6 mins): One for this movie, plus another each for other Columbia titles, the dire coupling of Thir13en Ghosts and Darkness Falls, plus the excellent-but-is-a-few-years-old-and-has-been-on-Five-already Hollow Man. All trailers are in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen.

• Cast and crew filmographies: the last resort in terms of "extras".

• Audio commentaries: Two here. One from director James Mangold, and the other from writer Michael Cooney.

FILM CONTENT PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS
OVERALL

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2004.

DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.

PC games reviewed by the editor are on: