Identity
The truth behind "Identity" is that it has a lot more style than substance. What's worse, the final revelation at the end of this gory suspense-thriller is so ludicrous that it's bound to provoke more howls of laughter than chills.This is one of the biggest cinematic disappointments of late. The idea of re-doing "10 Little Indians" with the dark and creepy atmosphere of something like "Se7en" is promising. Unfortunately, both the concept and characters are poorly developed.
It's also so shrill and overwrought that at times it's a chore to sit through — though it's less than 90 minutes in length. Still, there is a fine cast, led by John Cusack, who stars as Ed, a limo driver who finds himself in the middle of a rainstorm.
Ed's supposed to be driving an actress client (Rebecca DeMornay) to an undisclosed destination, but on the way — thanks to the reduced visibility — he accidentally hits a woman who wanders into the roadway. Unable to get her to a hospital, he takes the injured woman to a nearby seedy hotel, where he finds there are others stranded — a call girl (Amanda Peet), panicky newlywed (Clea DuVall) and a cop (Ray Liotta) with a killer (Jake Busey) in tow.
Director James Mangold does a good job of sustaining tension throughout the film's first half. But things start bogging down after that, thanks to a series of apparently connected scenes in which a psychologist (Alfred Molina) is seen conversing with a prisoner.
The film tries to be clever, but that's not the case here, though it doesn't go where you're probably expecting it to. And it's not very believable, either.
With the exception of Cusack and Molina, the cast members play their parts in the most strident fashion possible, especially DuVall, who is perhaps the most irksome young actress working in film today.
"Identity" is rated R for violence (gunplay, vehicular violence and violence against women), graphic gore, occasional use of strong sex-related profanity and brief drug content (use of prescription drugs). Running time: 87 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com