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A DVD Review of...
  
Images (C) Columbia, 2003 |
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Cast: John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, Clea DuVall, Rebecca De Mornay,
John C. McGinley, John Hawkes, William Lee Scott, Jake Busey, Alfred Molina
Synopsis: Caught in a savage rainstorm, ten travelers are forced to seek refuge at a strange desert motel. They soon realize they've found anything but shelter. There is a killer among them and, one by one, they are murdered. As the storm rages on and the dead begin to outnumber the living, one thing becomes clear: Each of them was drawn to the motel, not by accident or circumstance, but by forces beyond imagination, forces that promise anyone who survives a mind-bending and terrifying destiny..
Film Review: Despite initially looking to be a direct rip-off of Agatha Christie's multiply-adapted
"Ten Little Ni****s" story, "Identity" adds in a few extra twists and the standard serial killer element to
boost the pacing and excitement - the thing is though, it works. The idea of trapping nearly a dozen individuals
in a remote location isn't new, but by putting it in a Bates-esque motel in a deluge it allows James Mangold to
come up with a surprisingly rich visual flick which is a guilty pleasure to watch as its script spins out into
more and more ludicrous directions. In another person's hands it could easily have become a waste but the
great cast and Mangold's sure hand keep the narrative flowing fast and tight throughout.
The opening is a good demonstration of his skill as the concept is setup and our characters are brought together -
instead of one subplot after another it uses a nifty flashback/time jump trick which is a little disorienting
but works well in quickly establishing who these characters are. Then things go soggy for about half an hour
as the initial murders begin but with about 40 minutes to go things pick right up throughout the second half
as twist upon twist starts but the thing is whilst some of them are predictable, others are quite cleverly
pulled off in both their concept and the way they're revealed. Performance wise the cast does a solid job,
nothing special except maybe the return of Rebecca DeMornay (albeit a bit part) and Liotta & Cusack not really
doing much - though Peet holds her own.
Make no mistake about it though - its a dumb popcorn movie made for mystery movie fans and on that level it
works. If you don't get into mystery movies - and I mean the old Agatha Christie or Murder She Wrote style ones,
you won't really get this. The best kind of mystery movie keeps you enthralled so much you barely have time to speculate
as to what's happening and so when the revelation hits your blown away. If you go in trying to guess the twist
right from the beginning you won't enjoy as there are slow patches and it does get cliched - the whole point of
these is to sit back and let the tale unfold at its own pace rather than trying to jump ahead. You do that,
then you'll have fun.- Garth Franklin
"Shanghai Knights"
DVD Details In Brief (Region 1)
Rating:
Runtime: mins
Versions: 16:9 Enhanced Widescreen, 4:3 Letterboxed
Aspect Ratio: .: 1
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Language & Sub-Titles: English, Spanish, French
Audio: .
Documentaries:
Clips:
Other:
DVD-Rom:
Region 1 vs. Region 4: . |
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DVD Review: . - Garth Franklin
Video/Audio Score: 
Extras Score:
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