I had the opportunity to see Identity again recently, and I had forgotten what an entertaining mystery movie it is. While I am just short of calling the cast "ensemble", nearly every actor is well established (or better) including: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Ray Liotta, Alfred Molina, John Hawkes, John McGinley, Clea DuVall, Jake Busey, Rebecca De Mornay, and Pruitt Taylor Vince. The film is directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma). 'R' rating is for violence, and language.
Very Basics: Within 24 hours, convicted murderer Malcolm Rivers (Vince) will be executed for 6 murders that he previously confessed to committing. His psychiatrist, Dr. Malick (Molina) has just recently come across some evidence that may allow a judge to stay the execution.
Meanwhile, 10 random people, end up stuck in a roadside motel, in the middle of the Nevada desert, during a heavy rain storm. One by one, these people are found murdered, with the remaining persons becoming increasingly scared and hostile trying to discover who is the murderer among them.
All is not what it seems, and these 2 plots are linked in ways in which we could never imagine.
**spoiler alert**
I think what I found amazing about this film is that it is only 90 minutes, yet the story did not feel full of holes, and I did not feel that the characters were underdeveloped. The tapestry woven by the writer and director is a true sight to behold. In fact, most of the characters at the hotel seemed to have some secret that he/she was concealing but was brought to light.
Here is a brief rundown of said characters and their part in this twisted plot:
Alice York is struck by a limo while standing on a rainy 2 lane Nevada road while her husband George (McGinley) was changing a flat tire. Alice's 9 year old son (and Geroge's step-son) Timmy is with them. Ed Dakota (Cusack) is the limo driver, chauffeuring 80's actress Caroline Suzanne (De Mornay) on the road. Ed, feeling responsible even though it was an accident, takes the 3 Yorks into the limo and they proceed to the motel, run by Larry Washington (Hawkes) searching for help. The phones are down at the motel, so Ed goes back out to get medics, trying to drive to the nearest town, 30 miles away. He crashes into a flooded ditch and runs into Paris Nevada (Peet), also stranded. They are picked up by Lou Isiana and his new bride Ginny (DuVall) who just got married in Las Vegas, but appear to angry at each other. The 4 head back to the hotel resigned to be stuck there through the storm. Also now present at the hotel are police officer Rhodes (Liotta) who is transporting a felon named Maine (Busey). So the with the characters all assembled at the motel, the murders begin.
So here is a little more about the some of the characters :
- Ed used to be a Los Angeles police officer, and seems to "take charge" of the group when the chaos begins to ensue. I would consider him the "lead" of the film beyond anyone else.
- Paris is a now-ex-prostitute on her way to Florida. Larry is the most vocal about his dislike of her due to her former profession.
- Larry is the manager of the motel. Larry, we learn, was actually a down on his luck gambler who blew his life savings in Las Vegas, and came to the motel discovering the manger dead. Larry then assumed the role of manager, thinking someone would eventually show up looking for the former manager, but no one ever did. Finding the old manger's body in a storage freezer, the group suspects Larry of being the murderer.
- Rhodes turns out to not actually be a cop. He and Maine were partners and killed the cop transporting them.
- We learn that Lou and Ginny got married because Ginny had claimed to be pregnant. She wasn't. This is one of the many problems between the two.
That's extreme:
So about an hour and five minutes into Identity, the audience is thrown for a total loop with a reveal about what is "reality" in the case of this story, and suddenly everything starts to make more sense. We learn that everything happening at the motel is going on in Malcom's mind. He is suffering from dissociative identity disorder, and each of the people we have seen are Malcom's multiple personalities. Dr. Malick is trying to end all of the multiples, especially the homicidal one so that Malcom might avoid the death penalty.
We are thrown for one more twist at the very end, but I will not ruin that one here.
Recommendation: Start to finish this is an excellent neo-Hitchcockian-type thriller mystery, with excellent writing, direction, story weaving, and acting - highlighted by Cusack and Vince.
My one criticism would be that because of the number of flashback sequences, the timeline seems a little disjointed at early points in the film. I should also note that because of the overall "fast pace" of the movie it is easy to miss the little "hints" about what you later learn.
I highly recommend seeing it.
Extras
- The plotline of the 10 strangers being murdered one by one is based on an Agatha Christe novel titled And Then There Were None.
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