Unknown (2006)

38% of critics liked it
(45 reviews)
56% of users liked it
(15,642 ratings)

Five men desperately try to recover their memories and piece together the traumatic events of the past several days in this independent thriller. In an abandoned warehouse, a handful of men slowly regain consciousness, but they've been stricken with amnesia and have no idea who they are, where they… More Five men desperately try to recover their memories and piece together the traumatic events of the past several days in this independent thriller. In an abandoned warehouse, a handful of men slowly regain consciousness, but they've been stricken with amnesia and have no idea who they are, where they are, or what has happened to them. All five seem to have been in some sort of serious scuffle; one is tied up (Joe Pantoliano), another has been handcuffed (Jeremy Sisto), a third has a broken nose (Greg Kinnear), and the other two have their share of scrapes and bruises (Jim Caviezel and Barry Pepper). As the men compare the tiny shards of memory they can pull from their minds, one finds a newspaper from two days before, which features a front-page story about the kidnapping of a wealthy and well-known businessman. The men begin to suspect that they were involved with the kidnapping, but no one is sure if they're on the right or wrong side of the law -- or if one of them might happen to be the victim. The first feature film from veteran music-video director Simon Brand, Unknown also stars Peter Stormare, Bridget Moynahan, and Clayne Crawford. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: Simon Brand
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: Nov 3, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Jan 30, 2007
Studio: IFC

Critic Reviews

Ty Burr, Boston Globe
You wish some of the plot holes had been spackled better.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
A nifty little psychological crime thriller that suggests a Treasure of the Sierra Madre for the postindustrial age.
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle
It's a good gimmick, but still a gimmick, and we're left with more confusion than tension.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Unknown is far from a perfect movie, but it's more amusing than many better-made ones.
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
Unknown is far from unwatchable, just undistinguished.
Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times
Gritty, gimmicky.
Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses
click for full review in Greek
Anton Bitel, Film4
goes round in circles, with petty arguments and lengthy monologues making the minutes drag in what ought to be a taut thriller.
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
Enjoyable thriller with superb performances, a decent plot and some thought-provoking ideas about identity and human nature underneath its twisty tale.
Frank Lovece, Film Journal International
A knife-sharp psychological action thriller.
David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com
This is the work of filmmakers so satisfied with a story that isn't the least bit satisfying.
Andrew Wright, The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
Never rises above the level of a promising calling card, but there's something refreshing about its innate sense of its own B-movieness.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Gimmicky but effective, this claustrophobic thriller has such an intriguing premise that it keeps us entertained even as it gets increasingly contrived.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
A premissa é instigante, mas, infelizmente, quanto mais descobrimos sobre a trama, menos interessante o filme se torna.
Ted Murphy, Murphy's Movie Reviews
UNKNOWN works as a puzzle and it provides a fine ride for audiences. It has audacity and invention and marks the emergence of a couple of behind-the-scenes talents to watch.
Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times
There's a good little thriller lurking somewhere in the depths of "Unknown," but it never quite rises to the surface.
William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The gimmick is all worn out, the script never makes us believe its epidemic of memory loss could ever happen, and its crescendo of third-act plot twists play like a desperate patch job on a concept that just didn't come off.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Manu G

Trust no one. Fear everyone. Excellent Movie! The film story just keeps changing even at the end, amazing plot! Good acting roles by everyone involve. Highly recommended film for any real movie buffs. How would you feel if you were tied to a chair, in a locked-down warehouse, in the… More
Trust no one. Fear everyone. Excellent Movie! The film story just keeps changing even at the end, amazing plot! Good acting roles by everyone involve. Highly recommended film for any real movie buffs. How would you feel if you were tied to a chair, in a locked-down warehouse, in the middle-of-nowhere, with no recollection whatsoever of what happened, or what didn't. To add to it, you're not alone. There are four others with you in the exact same state of mind. Some of the group are responsible for putting the others there BUT no one knows who's who. Thats how this movie starts, getting grittier with every passing minute. Five guys are asleep in an abandoned, run-down warehouse. There has been some violence. One is handcuffed by one hand to a railing; one is tied up. "Blue jean shirt" wakes up first, and has no idea who he is or where he is. He has no memory. The other four are still asleep, but Blue Jean Shirt makes the handcuffed man more comfortable and wanders around. The phone rings and Blue Jean Shirt has no idea what to make of it; by this time it is obvious there has been violence. Blue Jean Shirt fakes his way through the phone conversation, including lying about a Glock being in the desk drawer. The plot unfolds slowly as the other four wake up and they try to find a way out of the warehouse. They get along sometimes, sometimes they argue violently; you know some of these five are bad guys and then you get the feeling that some are good guys as the clues continue coming and fall into place slowly, as the movie plot twists its way to the surprise at the end where it all falls together
Lorenzo v

"Trust no one. Fear everyone." Five men wake up in a locked-down warehouse with no memory of who they are. They are forced to figure out who is good and who is bad to stay alive. <center>"Trust no one. Fear everyone." Five men wake up in a locked-down warehouse with no memory of who they are. They are forced to figure out who is good and who is bad to stay alive. <center>REVIEW</center> In the end the audience learns there has been a kidnapping but I think the screenplay was too complicated to follow, throwing the viewer in the middle of too many twists. Characters are well assorted and all do quite well, not only the five main actors - James Caveziel, Greg Kinnear, Barry Pepper, Jeremy Sisto and Joe Pantoliano - but also the ones playing the smaller roles. The director wanted "Unknown" to work as a puzzle, providing a good ride for the audience by showing invention, tension and audacity. Would say that the finale leaves a bit to be desired, not because I was expecting the happy ending (in the sense of the cheating wife being arrested along with the undercover agent) but I'd have preferred a more detailed description of the abduction, that is the assumption/introduction of the story.
Al S

It's The Usual suspects meets Saw. It's a gripping and electrifying, edge of your seat thriller. Exciting and thrilling with amazing twist and turns that will keep you guessing right till the very end. It's smart, compelling and spellbinding. Ingenious with explosive… More
It's The Usual suspects meets Saw. It's a gripping and electrifying, edge of your seat thriller. Exciting and thrilling with amazing twist and turns that will keep you guessing right till the very end. It's smart, compelling and spellbinding. Ingenious with explosive suspense that will always keep your pulse-racing. A great and satisfying cast of actors all at the top of their game that all deliver fantastic performances. It's the most solid and entertaining thriller that I've seen in a while that didn't disappoint me.
Curtis L

I found this one to be quite entertaining. The play between the characters accomplishes great suspense in who is good and who is bad. I don't usually like twists because they always seem forced, but this had some pretty good ones as far as that goes.
Dan S

A poorly executed wannabe "Saw"/"Cube" thriller that is ambitious and casted well, but falters big time near the end. Haven't seen it for a good two years, but I remember being very disappointed by the "twist" ending, it wasn't that clever. If… More
A poorly executed wannabe "Saw"/"Cube" thriller that is ambitious and casted well, but falters big time near the end. Haven't seen it for a good two years, but I remember being very disappointed by the "twist" ending, it wasn't that clever. If you want to see a thriller that has brains and a sick twist to cap it off, stick with...well..."Saw" or "Cube".
Anthony L

Quite good film this! It?s got a great story with lots of twists and turns. It?s got elements of Reservoir Dogs, Cube and memento in it but it still remains fairly original. The cast do a fine job but it could have done with a more experienced director.
Jens S

Decent suspense thriller about a couple of men waking up in a remote, locked factory being injured and without a memory. While their mistrust about which ones among them are criminals and victims is sometimes a little too tiresomely vicious, the movie keeps you guessing rather nicely… More
Decent suspense thriller about a couple of men waking up in a remote, locked factory being injured and without a memory. While their mistrust about which ones among them are criminals and victims is sometimes a little too tiresomely vicious, the movie keeps you guessing rather nicely for a while. And even once all is revealed the film still has a nice little twist waiting. The acting is decent, the movie short enough never to bore, but the dialoges, characters and script could have needed a little more bite, somehow. Still, watchable and far from bad.
Dean !

A very good if short thriller about 5 guys who wake up in a warehouse with short term memory loss. They deduct that 2 of them are hostages and 3 are kidnappers, but who is who? Great idea for a thriller and it has a fine cast and a couple of twists along the way as you try to guess… More
A very good if short thriller about 5 guys who wake up in a warehouse with short term memory loss. They deduct that 2 of them are hostages and 3 are kidnappers, but who is who? Great idea for a thriller and it has a fine cast and a couple of twists along the way as you try to guess who the bad guys are. Worth checking out.
Steve K

Failed to live up to its promise. Some good acting is all that saves it.
Todd S

This movie was really cool, not only because of it's terrific cast, but also for the way the story is done. At many points this film seems familiar, mainly because it has similar pieces to similar movies all put together into one original story. A group of people wake up locked… More
This movie was really cool, not only because of it's terrific cast, but also for the way the story is done. At many points this film seems familiar, mainly because it has similar pieces to similar movies all put together into one original story. A group of people wake up locked in a warehouse with no memory of who they are or how they got there. Only one thing becomes immediatly clear, if they don't discover the truth and how to escape, they'll all be dead soon. Its not the strongest story or ending, but the way this film was done was just pure geinus. Definatly worth seeing!
Sol C

This was a really great film. A great acting ensemble. This was like Usual Suspects meet Saw. I didn't see the twists coming. I definitely recommend this film.
Deb S

Five strangers (Jim Caviezel, Joe Pantoliano, Greg Kinnear, Barry Pepper and Jeremy Sisto) wake up in a locked warehouse in the desert with no memory whatsoever of who they are and what they are doing there. Some of them are wounded, others are bound and they soon grasp that they are… More
Five strangers (Jim Caviezel, Joe Pantoliano, Greg Kinnear, Barry Pepper and Jeremy Sisto) wake up in a locked warehouse in the desert with no memory whatsoever of who they are and what they are doing there. Some of them are wounded, others are bound and they soon grasp that they are being poisoned by a gas that leaked into the air causing the amnesia. Flashbacks slowly enable the viewer's realization that *some* of them are kidnappers, and the others their victims; with their memory slowly coming back, one realizes he's innocent along with his friend and the other ... Well, he realizes that he's the opposite. The movie is very unpredictable and the ending reveals it all. Look out for Peter Stormare (of Prison Break), again playing a crook, with the same long hair and bad attitude.
Curt C

"Five men wake up in a chemical warehouse and realizing they don't know who they are and how they got there. But, through time they deduct that some of them are hostages and some are kidnappers. The men now must figure out who is who as they've learned the lead… More
"Five men wake up in a chemical warehouse and realizing they don't know who they are and how they got there. But, through time they deduct that some of them are hostages and some are kidnappers. The men now must figure out who is who as they've learned the lead kidnapper is on his way and plans to kill the hostages." I felt the need to paste the premise in this review, because seriously, that is one of the best ideas for a suspense film I've ever heard. A great story with a fairly short length and some decent acting. Doesn't go overboard on the twists, and a nice ending. So why why why don't I like this more than I do? It just seems the acting and directing, while acceptable, don't measure up to the story.
Daniel P

Very much a b-movie, Unknown features a decent cast (some of whom are a bit short changed) and an intriguing premise: five men wake up in various states (some injured, some handcuffed) with no memory of who they are or where they are, and must piece together the… More
Very much a b-movie, Unknown features a decent cast (some of whom are a bit short changed) and an intriguing premise: five men wake up in various states (some injured, some handcuffed) with no memory of who they are or where they are, and must piece together the clues to discover what's going on. Paranoia soon sets in as they each experience flashbacks that give them bits of info suggesting that things may be even more complicated than they seem, and they begin to come to conclusions about who the good guys and who the bad guys are. Competently performed, most of the action is confined to the warehouse itself (which is a shame as the scenes in the bathroom have a much more interesting feel to them) and the whole thing feels a little 'stagey'. Oh, and the flashback sequences are annoyingly edited and hecitcally filmed, making them difficult to follow. What keeps Unknown interesting is the energy in some of the acting, the escalating paranoia and the constant twists that keep you guessing - a shame then that the final reveal is rather disappointing and obvious. Worth a rental.
Nicolas K

Nobody really tried hard in this film. And if this type of scenario is your thing, much better results lie with Memento, Cube and even Saw.
William G

Mechanical and gimmicky, with cast going thru paces.
Lauren D

It was kinda gay, but it was fun enough. I like this kind of movie, but it was boring in parts and yeah... I dunno.
Kyle S

Was a 7/10 until the last 15 minutes or so of the film. Very intriging but the ending really lacked. Not a good pay-off.
Chosen 7

Good mystery, nice twist.
Quinto W

Is it fair to judge this movie when I spent more than half of it asleep? To my defense, it was the movie's fault that I fell asleep.