Identity (AKA I.D.) [DVD] [2003]

When I started watching this, I thought to myself, 'Oh boy, I bet you I know exactly how this is going to end.' I was wrong. The film takes a lot of clever and unexpected twists that really goes to show you how great a thriller can really be if the right brains are behind it all. It has some great suspense and frightening moments, an intriguing plot that likes to play around with your mind, and it delivers a very confident presentation. You'll recognize a good majority of the cast, as some of them include John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet and Rebecca DeMornay. All are great, especially Cusack who proves that he can be a successful lead role in a top-notch thriller.

The DVD has some cool goodies to offer. You can watch it in widescreen or fullscreen, depending on which is your preference. You also have the choice to watch the theatrical cut, or the extended version (not to be mistaken for a 'director's cut'). I must be honest and admit that the extended version is really not worth it. The added scene does nothing to enhance the movie and the so-called 'alternate ending' isn't alternate at all, as it is merely extended by only a few seconds. It was interesting to watch, but again it really doesn't do anything special for the film. Stick with the theatrical version, then watch the extended version if you're still curious. Trust me, the theatrical version is the way to go. Other bonuses included on the DVD are deleted scenes, commentary, storyboard comparisons, theatrical trailer, filmographies and a behind the scenes featurette. The film looks and sounds great.

'Identity' is definitely something that should be checked out by those who are tired by the usual flops that dare to call themselves 'thrillers.' This is a successful and smart thriller that offers chills along with an impressive script and cast. Just be sure to give it a chance. You may think you have it all figured out when it starts, but trust me when I tell you that this movie will play around with your brain until the ending credits. A more than well-done thriller that doesn't disappoint and is worth re-watching again and again. -Michael Crane

George (McGinley) and Alice York (Kenzle) and their odd young tongue-tied son Timothy (Loehr) stop at the motel seeking medical help after Alice is accidently run down on the highway by a limo. Timothy is George's step-son, as his real father split two years ago. Ed (Cusack) the limo driver was a former LA policeman who burned-out and quit because of medical reasons. Ed is transporting a self-absorbed and spoiled fading TV actress Caroline Suzanne (De Mornay) to Los Angeles, when he took his eyes off the road to get batteries for her cell phone and hit Alice. Ed takes the severely injured woman to the motel and when he can't phone or travel for help, he sews up her neck with a sewing kit. Paris (Peet) is a world-weary sexy Las Vegas hooker who skips town after she robs her john. She's heading for her hometown in Frostbite, Florida to buy an orange orchard farm with the stolen money, but her car gets stuck in the flooded road. Lou (Scott) and Ginny (DuVall) got married 9 hours ago and are already a troubled couple. The oversensitive Ginny feels guilty that she lied about being pregnant. The last guest is Rhodes (Ray Liotta), a not too swift corrections officer transporting a convict (Jake Busey). The convict gets free of his handcuffs and leg irons while left in the motel bathroom and is suspected of committing the gruesome murders.

The story intercuts on the same night to the Nevada state courtroom, where a last minute hearing to stay the execution for a serial killer (Pruitt Taylor Vince) convicted of several bloody murders is taking place. An unreceptive judge has been awakened for this appeal. The psycho's psychiatrist (Alfred Molina) and the client's lawyer plead that the state has no right to execute someone who is mentally incompetent.

Mangold says he was attracted to the film because it reminded him of some 1940s film noirs such as The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon. It intrigued him how the story played with time, memory, reality and nightmares. What I admired is that the script was tight, the direction played fairly more or less with the rules for the whodunit mystery genre, and that even if the film couldn't completely make sense it still made enough sense to be appreciated as a good old-fashioned mystery. Though gruesome in spots, this was more a film for those who like to be kept guessing who the killer is and also want a thought-provoking film.